No Return: The 46th Hunger Games
by Golden Pikachu
Summary: There is a reason why no one talks about the 46th Hunger Games. 24 tributes go in but for 23 of them, there is no return.
1. Tribute List

**Head Game Maker**

**Golden's POV **

****I smile as I read over the list of tributes in my hands. Each perfect in their own way. Each who currently have no idea what I have planned for them. So many ways to kill them. So many many ways...

**District 1**

**Female: Jessica Rose (14)**  
>This small girl from 1 may not seem like a threat, but that is just what she wants you to believe. She is very bubbly and cheery, but can be serious when need be. Training for the games her whole life, it was destiny that she was reaped this year and she will not go down without a fight. Can this girl prove that she has what it takes to win these games, or will she be returning back to District 1 in a body bag?<p>

**Male: Hale Gray (16)**  
>With raven black hair, bright blue eyes and pale skin, no wonder everyone mistakes this boy as a handsome vampire. His father moved away from his small family when he was 16, taking his little sister Lucy with him to start a new life in District 8. Heart broken, Hale thought he would never be happy again. Then, the day of the reapings, Hale found out his sister had been reaped in District 8. Determined to protect her, Hale volunteered, and now they have been thrown into the arena together. Can Hale protect both himself and his sister, or will both of them end up dead?<p>

* * *

><p><strong>District 2<br>****Female: Pearl Chrysler (15)**  
>With long golden blond hair, and sharp bright blue eyes, Pearl is elegant and beautiful, but also deadly. Coming from a career family, her brother died in the games years ago, but she knows she is not stupid enough to make the same mistakes her brother did. Now Pearl is her family's last chance at fame, and she will not let them down. Confident, beautiful and charming, Pearl has it all in the bag, but will her desire to win cloud her judgment in the arena?<p>

**Male: Mace Stranol (18)  
><strong>With a father who won the games years ago, and a brother who is preparing to volunteer next year, no wonder Mace feels like he has always been in the shadows. But now he has volunteered, and is ready for all the glory and fortune the Hunger Games have to offer, that is, if he survives. Tough and confident, will Mace be able to prove that he is just as good as his brother, or will he die and be forgotten in the games, never to see his family he so hates ever again. One thing is for sure, either way, Mace will not be returning as the same person.

* * *

><p><strong>District 3<br>****Female: Eve Cane (16)  
><strong>Growing up in the factories of District 3, Eve's family has never been favoured by the peace keepers, and she is no exception. Hated or loved by those around her, she can get you into trouble easily, but just as easily get you out of it. It is tricky to tell what this quiet girl is thinking, making it very hard for you tell whether she is going to defend you in battle, or stab you in the back in the middle of the night. Is she an ally you would trust? and more importantly, is this all a mask to cover up her true emotions?

**Male: Bassolo Thomas(13)**  
>A typical nerd, Bassolo would rather stay inside and do maths problems than go outside with his friends and play. He is very truthful and doesn't hide his feelings so he can just weep for ages or curse at everyone if he is angry. He has a short temper that can lash out. He is quiet and indifferent to others feelings. Ask him a question he doesn't know, and Bassolo will lock himself in his room for hours trying to find the answer. But in the Hunger Games, you don't get a lot of answers, so how will this young boy cope?<p>

* * *

><p><strong>District 4<strong>

**Female: Seery Janeston (15)**  
>The games stripped Seery of everyone she loves. Now left with just her father and little sister, Seery is ready to volunteer and seek revenge. Her brother died in the games years ago at the hands of a District 6 tribute, and Seery is ready to avenge her brother, even if it means never returning to her father and baby sister. Brave, clever, smart and determined, the odds are definitely with her. But the question is, are the odds in the favour of whatever poor District 6 tribute that ends up in the arena with her? Look out, here comes Seery.<p>

**Male: Calvin Wilson (16)  
><strong>A typical career from District 4.. or is he? After losing some one he loved dearly, Calvin has been scarred both mentally and emotionally, and has never been the same since. And is this man even a career, or does he have other plans in the arena, that involve anyone but the careers. Whatever the case, he is a man to look out for in the arena, but is there more to this tribute than a confident smile and rock hard abs?

* * *

><p><strong>District 5<br>****Female: Sybil Holloway (17**)  
>One word sums up Sybil. Crazy. Growing up homeless, Sybil has learnt to be cunning to get what she wants. To everyone else however, she is that homeless girl living in the alley, who they share the occasional piece of bread with on their way to work. She actually is a cunning and witty girl, and is great at manipulating people, and laughs at the face of danger. Even though she is only 17, she already has seen most of the evil the world has to offer, after all, her mother walked out on her after her father died. So being in the Hunger Games won't phase her a bit, after all, she has nothing left to live for.<p>

**Male: Dylan DiMarco (15)**  
>A true womanizer, Dylan came from a wealthy family and has never had any trouble getting what he wants. He is very charming and very persuasive and knows how to use that to his advantage. With great looks and skills (or so he thinks) Dylan believes he has the upper hand in the arena. But will his flirting skills be enough in the arena with 23 other people out to kill you?<p>

* * *

><p><strong>District 6<br>****Female: Aurora Nevet(15)  
><strong>After losing her memory in a tragic incident 5 years ago, Aurora has had to struggle to remember who she is. And as if things couldn't get any worse, Aurora's parents blame her for her brother's death. As a much quieter tribute, she likes to go unnoticed, giving her the upper hand in the arena. After all, with 23 other tributes trying to kill you, it's best to go unnoticed... right?

**Male: Zero Goodwin (13)**  
>Cheeky and charismatic, Zero can talk for hours and not get bored. He loves the company of others and will do anything for friends. However Zero is still young, and has a lot of learning to do. With a wonky grin, can Zero prove that even a small young and naive boy from District 6 can be competition in the games, or will he be easily left behind and forgotten forever?<p>

* * *

><p><strong>District 7<br>****Female: Sammy Tennant (16)  
><strong>3 years ago Sammy literarily lost the will to live. She lost both her parents when she was only 8, but her best friend Macy took her in. Then everything in her life went wrong when Macy got reaped and was sentenced to her death in the hunger games. Sammy has now decided it is time to rebel after her last anchor in life, Macy's 13 year old sister, was reaped and she volunteered for this years games. With a strong and friendly personality, Sammy will do anything to protect the ones she loves, but could this be her fatal flaw in the arena?

**Male: Bramble Malcome (17)**  
>Growing up in District 7 with a good family, Bramble is pretty laid back and calm, unless you pick a fight with him that is. Then he is not afraid to beat the crap out of you. Because of this, Bramble is constantly getting into trouble with peace keepers, and bigger bullies. Will this young man know when to stand down in a fight?<p>

* * *

><p><strong>District 8<br>****Female: Lucy Gray (12)  
><strong>Stripped of her older brother when she was younger, Lucy has had to try and stay positive. With a sweet, cheerful and childish heart, you can't help but smile whenever you see her. A girl who loves to play games, she tends to wander off into her own little world, escaping the realities of life. But can she afford to do this in the Hunger Games?

**Male: Chiffon Burrel (12)  
><strong>Coming from a family of thieves, Chiffon almost always has a calm and level mind. Although young, he has much experience and has no problem with small spaces and doesn't know the meaning of fear. However, does this small boy really know what he is getting into? Being thrown into an arena with 23 other tributes, all trying to kill you must be doing something to this 12 year old, or will he continue to remain unaware of the situation he is in?

* * *

><p><strong>District 9<br>****Female: Monalisa Ryna (13)  
><strong>After a bad run in with peace keeper, Mona has been a mute. Being a silent girl from 11, she has been easily forgot and is unmemorable, but will being thrown into the Hunger Games change all that? She is a vert brave girl, and will give her life with an ally, but will anyone even notice this small wordless girl amounst 23 other tributes fighting to the death?

**Male: Kall Roswell (17)**  
>Dominated by his emotions, Kall can sometimes be paranoid and become enraged at the smallest of things. He was taught everything he knew by his father who fought in the dark days. Because of this, Kall dreams of another rebellion. Despite this, he values friendship and allies above anything else, making him a very trustworthy ally in the arena.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>District 10<br>****Female: Rochelle Hunter (15)  
><strong>This small shy and naturally timid girl from 10 may not seem like a contester in these games, but don't underestimate her. Strategy and planning comes to her as easily as breathing and she can easily outsmart an opponent. But will the shock and trauma of being thrown into the Hunger Games stop her from thinking completely?

**Male: Tucker Levington (17)  
><strong>This young man may seem tough and unwilling to open up, but if you break down his defences, he is a great man. Tucker's father died of an unknown cause when he was just 12, and since then his family has been searching for answers on his death. He feels as if there is a piece of him missing, and because of this finds it hard to open up to people. His mother struggles to support his family, so it was no surprise to Tucker when he was reaped for the 46th games. But hey, if he got reaped, at least that means for him none of his brothers got reaped.

* * *

><p><strong>District 11<br>****Female: Pomona Carver (17)**  
>A pure tomboy at heart, knowing everything from arm wrestling to tree climbing. In her spare time, Pomona likes to secretly practice her knife throwing skills at the back of her family's butcher shop, when there aren't any peacekeepers watching of course, she doesn't need the extra trouble. Being tossed into the Hunger Games is no problem for her, in fact she sees it as an improvement in her regular boring life in District 11. But will her proudness blind her in the Hunger Games, and is she as good as she thinks she is?<p>

**Male: Hachet Gennard (18)  
><strong>Hachet may look tough, but he is a big teddy bear. After losing both is parents in unrelated incidents 6 years ago, Hachet has been in charge of his 3 younger sisters. He also must take charge of his family's ranch in order to keep his family alive, and on top of that his 15 year old sister is pregnant with some idiot's baby. Now he has been reaped for the 46th Hunger Games, knowing that his sisters will most likely not survive without him. However against all odds, Hachet manages to remain cool headed. But what will it take for this young man to lose it, and what could happen if he does?

* * *

><p><strong>District 12<br>****Female: Haydata Dise (15)  
><strong>A feisty girl was reaped from District 12. An only child and raised by her father, Haydata learnt everything she needs to know about fighting and mechanics. After losing her mother to a terrible sickness, Haydata has hidden her emotions behind a cold mask, but underneath that is a kind and friendly girl. Can anyone break down the walls she has put up?

**Male: Alex Jackson (18)  
><strong>Growing up in the Seam, Alex has had to learn to take care of his family by himself. With the skills of speed, agility, stealth and survival, this man is more of a threat than he looks. But could he attract unwanted attention in the arena with his amount of skill? And with a girlfriend to get back to at home, will he be able to keep a cool calm head in the arena?


	2. Meet the Head Game Maker

Met Golden (yes I couldn't resist), this year's head Game Maker! In this very short chapter we will find out a tiny bit about the arena for this year's gams, hopefully not too much though! Hope you like it! :)

**Golden's POV**

I sigh and close the mythology book I have been staring at for the past 6 hours. This year's arena is going to be amazing, the best it has ever been if you ask me. Everything has been so carefully planned out, and so detailed, that nothing can go wrong.

I get up from my desk and make my way over to the bookshelf I asked to be installed into my office a month ago. Smart too, since I have now gathered a collection of books, and was beginning to run out of space in my small office to put them all. After this year's game, I am sure that President Comet will see fit to give me a bigger office. My eyes scan the dusty books that have accumulated on the bookshelf, all with similar titles.

My hand traces the spin of one in particular. The spin reads "Hercules the Hero" I have always been a fan of Greek mythology, and Hercules's story was always my favourite. Hercules, driven mad by the Goddess Hera, killed his own sons, all six of them, in cold blood. The story always makes me smile. In my mind, I am the Goddess Hera, slowly driving the tributes in the arena mad with my traps and mutts, until they reach a point where they become so mad, they kill one another. It happens every games, and it is my favourite part of the entire event.

I turn off the lights to my office, grab my bag and one more book off the self for a bit of night reading and head out the door. Good luck this year's tributes, the Goddess Hera is coming, and this time, she is going to make sure Panem experiences a show like none before.


	3. District 1, 2 and 3 Reapings

**District 1 Reaping's**

**Hale Gray's POV**

I rise with the sun and suppress yawn. Uh... Reaping Day. Don't get me wrong, I don't hate the games, I actually find them quite entertaining. But unlike most of the boys in the District, I have never really been into training for them. I have been trained, and I would probably be awesome in the arena, if I do say so myself, but honestly I have never seen the point. My mother and I are very wealthy, and are one of the most well-known families in District 1, so for me the fame and wealth brought to you by winning don't really appeal to me.

Yeah, it's just me and my mother living here in District 1. My father moved away years ago after he and my mother got a divorce and it didn't end very well. I hate my father because he took away the best thing in my life. My little sister Lucy. When my father left, he won custody of my sister and forced her to move away with him to start a new life in District 8. Don't ask me why he wanted to move to District 8, I've heard it's a dump. I guess it would suit my father then. I miss my sister so much; I haven't seen her in years.

I am about to start getting ready, but suddenly my mother bursts into my room, looking distraught, unlike her usual calm self. Her face looks ghost white, with her usual black flowing hair falling in a mess on her shoulders. Her eyes look bloodshot, most likely from crying. A phone designed to contact other districts is clutched in her hand. My mother does a lot of trading with other districts, so she was issued with a cyber-phone, a rare thing for someone living in a district.

"Hale! Hale your father just contacted me!" My fists immediately clench, and I force myself to breath evenly. If my father actually tried to contact us, it couldn't be good news.

"Your sister.. Lucy, she was reaped in District 8!" She gasps.

Crap.

My brain is struggling to process this. I slowly manage to put two and two together in my brain. Lucy would have turned 12 this year, so her name would have gone into the reaping bowl for the very first time. District 8 naturally has their reapings early, so that the children can return to the factories and work can start up again. That must be why we heard about it so early.

"Mom she's only 12! She won't last a second in the arena!"

"I know.." My mother has to take a seat on my bed to stabilize herself.

"Please tell me someone had the sense to volunteer for her." I whisper. I already know the answer. Humans are selfish beings. I bet everyone in District 8 is probably just glad it wasn't their child who was reaped. I bet it didn't matter they were sending an innocent 12 year old to their death.

"She won't go into the arena alone." I decide out loud. My mother turns to face me with a questioning look.

"I'll volunteer to be tribute from this District. I'll protect her in the games, I promise.." I let my sentence hang in the air. If I go in, maybe I can get my sister out alive. The key word here is maybe.

The walk to the Town Square is a silent one for my mother and I. We both know what is going to happen, but it still hits hard. I am about to turn and walk towards the 16 year old section, when my mother pulls me into a hug. She ruffles my dark black hair making it stick up on the ends, the way I used to do to my sister.

"Good luck." And with that she takes off to stand with the rest of the parents.

The reapings start and I stand through the boring speeches the escort and mentor make. They reap the female tribute, and a girl about 13 walks onto the stage, smiling. Then they reap the male tribute.

"Simon Philpes!" A boy from the 18 year old section starts to walk forward.

I take a deep breath steadying myself, and call out.

"I volunteer!"

Don't worry Lucy, here I come.

**Jessica Rose's POV**

Ha! I can't believe I was reaped. I make my way towards the stage and shake the escort's, mentor's and mayor's hands confidently. I am not at all worried; I have been training for the games my entire life. My father you see is a past victor, so it is only natural that he passed on his amazing skills to me, his favourite daughter.

After the reapings, I am guided towards the Justice Building and into a small room to say goodbye. 5 minutes later my family and friends burst into the room, congratulating me and patting me on the back.

"My daughter, future victor of the Hunger Games!" My father bellows. He slaps me on the back and I almost trip at the strength of the gesture. I give him a proud smile as my mother walks up to me and smoothers me in a hug.

"We already have our speeches ready for when you make it to the final 2, and after that? Well I'm sure we will work something out!" She exclaims excitedly. My friend Belle walks up and gives me a hug next.

"You're going to be amazing Jess! We'll be routing for you!" I smile and take a look around the room to see who else has come to see me off.

Everyone is in small huddles in the room, chatting excitedly. But then I see my brother, away from the crowds leaning against a wall, his head bowed. I walk over to him, trying to look strong. I tap him on the shoulder to get his attention.

"Aren't you going to say goodbye to me?" I ask, slightly hurt. He turns to face me with a sad look,

"No."

"No?"

"No." Anger boils up inside of me, and my usual angelic facial expression contorts into a look of hate.

"You're just not going to say anything? Not that you're proud? That you're excited for me?" I raise my voice louder than I mean to.

'I'm not proud, and I am not excited." He replies flatly.

"But...why?" I ask in a softer voice.

"Because you shouldn't be excited, you're going into an arena where you will hurt, and most likely kill innocent people, some as young as 12. Sorry, but I just don't see what's so exciting about that. If anything, it's disturbing.." He doesn't get a chance to finish, as a Peace Keeper enters and ushers everyone out of the room. Just as my brother turns to leave the room, he grabs my hand and presses something into it.

"Please, just try and think about it." And with that he is gone. I open my fist to find a small wooden solider. It is the one my brother gave me for my 12th birthday, after he had almost volunteered for the games. He never told me why he didn't, but now I know. I am left in an empty room, holding a child's toy, not sure what to do next.

**District 2 Reapings**

**Pearl Chrysler's POV**

I wake up to a bright light shining through my lace curtains. Damn who forgot to close my window? I make a mental note to give a stern talking to the maid after breakfast. I pull my silk covers off and walk into the bathroom, combing my hands through my golden blonde hair in an attempt to return it to its original state. I emerge an hour later looking, well, amazing. My shoulder length hair has been pulled into a lose bun, my lush lips have been coated in a thin layer of lipstick and my electric blue eyes have been accented with matching eye shadow and small diamonds at the corner of each eye. A snow white dress encrusted with diamonds and other precious stones encase my body and as I leave my room I slip on a pair of matching heels.

Downstairs, I see my mother sitting at the dining table eating alone. My two older brothers left 6 years ago to become peace keepers in District 8, after rumours of uprisings were spreading. I haven't heard from them in ages but I assume they are fine. My father joined them a year ago leaving me in the care of my mother. I used to have another brother Alexis, but he was killed in the games long ago. What a loser! He died in the bloodbath after he let his guard down and a measly girl from 7 who had had absolutely no career training at all, decided it would be a good idea to impale her axe in my brother's skull. She was killed by her district partner 10 seconds later. My brother was a failure, but I know I won't make the same mistake as him.

I eat breakfast silently with my mother before excusing myself to my bedroom to finish preparing for the reapings. I walk into my bedroom and find it almost too bright for my eyes. Dang it! I forgot to yell at our maid! Now I guess I will never get the chance. That thought makes me stop. If I die, I won't get a chance to do a lot of things. I will never have a first kiss, a wedding, I will never see my family again... who am I kidding! Of course I am going to win! I am far better than any other tribute out there.

Slipping on a golden bracelet sitting on my bedside, memories of my brother flood into my mind. This was the same bracelet he wore for the 10 minutes he was in the arena, I think there is even a small blood stain underneath it, a stain of his blood. Cool huh? There is no way I will die in the bloodbath, and I will make sure that whoever the District 7 tribute this year dies by my hands. Huh, I guess I do have some respect for my brother, considering I am willing to avenge his death. Look out Panem; here comes the rein of Pearl.

**Mace Stranol's POV**

Come on! Stupid children are standing in the way as I try and push my way towards the 18 year old section in Town Square. One small boy I shove out of my way trips then flashes me the finger with an anger look. I am about to turn around and teach him a lesson, but the crowd catches me and I am carried off in a sea of people. The square is completely packed with children and parents, all hoping that this year they will get the chance to make there District proud.

I finally manage to take my place in the 18 year old section, just as the mentor and escort for District 2 make their way onto the stage. I zone out until I hear the escort announces, "And now let's see which lucky man and woman will represent our District in this year's games! Laddies first!" I look up just in time to see the escort's hand dip into the large ball and pull out a single slip of paper.

"Georgia Williams!" All eyes turn to the front row of the 12 year old section, where a small blonde haired girl stands, looking stunned.

A shrill cry then comes from the audience, somewhere near the 16 year old section.

"I volunteer!" A girl with startling blue eyes and a confident smile walks casually onto the stage, snatching the microphone right out of the escort's hands.

"My name is Pearl, and this is my year to shine!" She cries out in a high voice. I cringe slightly, feeling sorry for whoever has this thing as a district partner.

"And onto the gentlemen!" I stiffen involuntarily. Again the escort dips her hand into a ball, this one labelled 'Boys'. She draws a name out,

"Peter Smozeth!" This time all eyes go to the 15 year old section. Before I can pick out the tribute in the crowd a hand shoots up from my section. A very familiar voice screams out, "I volunteer!" I know that voice far too well. I turn to the back of my section to see my perfect brother, Hammer standing with a smug smile plastered on his face.

A growl emerges from the back of my throat. No way, no way! Now Hammer is going to be in the spotlight again! Let me explain, I have always been in the shadow of my brother, and he has always done everything better than me. I am filled with a sudden rage, and I scream out, "No! I volunteer!" Ha! It's my turn to have a go in the spotlight! My brother's face morphs into what looks like anger. We stare at each other for a few seconds before we both take off in a sprint towards the stage. I grab at his shirt and pull him to the ground before sprinting up the steps and taking the microphone before my brother can reach the stage,

"My name is Mace Stranol and I am going to win these games!" I call out slightly puffed. Ha! Let's see who's in the spotlight now!

**District 3 Reapings**

**Bassolo Thomas **

"Who can tell me who the head of the Gods was in Greek Mythology?" My hand is the first one raised.

"Yes, Bassolo"  
>"Zeus was the head of the Gods. He was actually known as father of the Gods as he sired many of the main Gods, like Athena. His father was Kronos, the leader of the Titans. Zeus-"<p>

"Thank you Bassolo, I just wanted to know the name." My teacher cuts me off. I hear children in the back of the class giggle and murmur quietly. I try to ignore them. Morning classes are always boring. Even though I am only 12, I have been put up 4 years at school, so most of the people in my class are about 16. Even then, I still find these classes far too easy. Especially history and mythology. I have always been interested in this kind of stuff, so I studied ahead during the summer. The only problem is that I still have to sit through all these classes while the other people learn it.

I find myself constantly staring at the clock at the top of the class as the hands slowly move. Only 3 minutes and 45.7..no 45.9 seconds to go until we are dismissed. Then I just have to wait till the reapings are over and then I'm free. I'm honestly not worried about the reapings. My name is only in the reaping bowl 3 times. Compared to some people, that is a small amount.

The bell rings and everyone jumps from their seats and run towards the door. I wait until the classroom is empty before standing up and collecting my things. I'm so lost in my thoughts about Greek Mythology as I exit the classroom that I don't notice the boys standing right by the door, waiting for me. There are only 3 of them. Maybe if I just keep walking they will ignore me

"Hey nerd!" One greets me. I keep walking.

"Hey slow down, we just want to chat!" Another calls. I recognize their voices. They are in my class. They sit in the back of the class usually harassing some poor student. I feel one grab my backpack and I instantly panic. I've seen what these big guys have done before, and I definitely don't want that to happen to me.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" A figure emerges from the corridor and starts walking towards us. All the while the bully doesn't loosen his grip on my backpack. As the figure walks closer I realize who it is. Eve. Another girl in my class. She's very quiet, and has a reputation of getting in trouble with peacekeepers, but she is actually quite a nice person.

"Didn't ya hear me? Let him go." She speaks with a calm yet intimidating voice.

"Ha! Run along Eve, or do you want to end up like your nerd friend here?" The guy holding me by my backpack asks. Quick as a flash Eve sprints up to him and uppercuts him. I hear the crunching of bone and I can tell that his nose would have ended up broken from a punch like that. His grip loosens and I manage to struggle free and move a safe distance away. Meanwhile Eve has everything sorted. She kicks the bully at his feet and he falls to the ground, then gives a final punch to his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. She backs up, and I see the other two guys look at her with a scared look.

"Now, unless you want to end up like that guy," She smirks, "I suggest you get moving." Both guys take off, carrying their friend with them. I turn to say thanks to my saviour, but she is gone.

I make it to the Town Square in one piece. On my way I keep looking out for Eve, I owe it to her to say thanks. I don't end up having time though, as we are ushered into our allocated age sections, and the reapings begin. I don't bother listening, but when the escort pulls out the male tribute's name, I hold my breath.

'Bassolo Thomas!" I stand, stunned.

"Bassolo Thomas?" she calls again. A few of the people around me push me forward and before I know it I am standing on the stage, shaking the escort's hand.

"And now onto the girls!" she announces. Her hand pulls out a piece of paper and she reads out the name.

"Eve Cain!" That's her! The girl who saved me! I scan the audience, trying to catch a glance of her.

I see her, pushing her way through the crowds, running out of the square.

**Eve Cain's POV**

Run.. run, just keep running. I hear the peacekeepers behind me, gaining fast. Although I am an expert in navigating my way through town (you have to be when your me, running away from peacekeepers is like a daily routine) I find myself getting more and more confused of where my current location is. Damn why did I have to get reaped! I mean, I get that my name was in that death ball like over 10 times but still! The peacekeepers continue to yell after me but it just makes me pick up my fast pace. For once being a fast runner has come in handy.

I turn and stubble down another path, hoping to shake the peacekeepers but they stay on my tail. Is this what my father and brother felt like? No. I can't think about that now, not while I have peacekeepers chasing me. I remember my mother's expression when I was reaped. Shocked, stunned and frightened. The same way she did when she found out my father and brother were killed. No! Stop thinking about that!

Tears stream down my eyes as I continue to run. I'm pretty sure the number of peacekeepers chasing me has doubled. I guess this has never happened before, a tribute running away from her inevitable death. My eyesight turns cloudy from the salty tears streaming down my face, I'm not sure how long I have been running for, and I don't think I will be able to keep this up for much longer. How much longer until the peacekeepers give up and stop running?

My question is answered as I stumble into a long alleyway, where I find the exit blocked by a steel fence.. Maybe I could climb over the fence? I'm pretty good at climbing. I sprint towards the fence, yes! I could make it!

Then I trip. Stupid laces.

My body collides with the ground and I fell the wind knocked out of me. Immediately a peacekeeper is on me pulling me roughly off the dirty ground and just for good measure gives a good punch to my ribs. I find myself falling back onto the ground, where I stay. With the fight knocked out of me, and my vision going dark, I find myself unable to resist when a peacekeeper picks me up and starts carrying me bridal style out of the alley. Every time he moves the shake sends a jolt through my ribs. I supress a moan and try to struggle free, but the smallest movement causes new pain to shoot through my body. He grabs my wrists and holds them in one hand, trapping me further. My eyesight wavers and I force myself to stay awake.

I'm not sure how long the peacekeeper carries me for. When I finally manage to get my vision to stop spinning and register my surroundings I realize that we are at the train station. I see my mentor and escort standing at the entrance, with my district partner. They're just going to ship me off to the Capitol! I didn't even get to say goodbye to my mother. I make one more final attempt to struggle out of the peacekeeper's grasp, but he just holds me firm.

I have to accept my fate. I will be in the Hunger Games. I will enter the arena.

I am most probably going to die.


	4. District 4, 5 and 6 Reapings

**District 4 Reaping's**

**Seery Janeston's POV**

I continue to scribble notes down on my note pad until I feel like my hand is going to fall off. Over my years, I have studied battle techniques, survival strategies and social tactics from past victors of Hunger Games, in order to get the edge in the games. I now feel completely prepared for whatever the arena could ever throw at me. I've studied everything the capitol could put in there, from mutts to plants. It's about 4am in the morning, and I still have so many tapes to watch over and take notes from. Right now I have been studying past arena's trying to think up of what arena the Head Game Maker could possibly think up of this year, and I think I have a good idea. The current Head Game Maker, Golden was promoted 3 years ago, and I discovered a pattern in her arena designs. She likes to use things from history and culture. But arenas can still be unpredictable, so I need to study some more. I let out a yawn…but maybe after a quick nap….

I jolt awake and silently curse under my breath. I slept in and won't be able to watch those last tapes. I pull myself up from the floor which provided an incredibly uncomfortable sleep and get dressed. Even as I am running down the stairs, I grab one more book on edible plants and skim read it. I have a strategy for the games all planned out. After much research and a few calculations, I learnt that careers only have a 32.543% chance of winning in the games. This may seem weird, but after watching so many tapes of Hunger Games, you can see that most career alliances go south pretty fast. Which is why I plan on creating my own elite team of what I like to call anti careers. We will have all the strength of a career pack, but with greater loyalty and trust. This will increase my chance of winning by over 58.23%. And those are statistics I like.

Now I am ready for the games, now I know I have a much higher chance of winning. As I enter the kitchen, I find my family sitting and eating breakfast, laughing and having a good time. I take a seat next to my brother and grab a protein shake from the center of the table and toss in an iron tablet for good measure.

"So, you ready to win tiger?" My brother asks good naturedly. He has just turned 19, so he can no longer qualify for the Hunger Games. A real shame too. I smile and nod confidently.

"Yup, got it all figured out." Everyone in District 4 knows I have been training and studying up for these games, so no one will dare try and volunteer for the female spot this year. I have earned that spot through blood sweat and tears. As I am about to get up, my brother takes a ring off his finger and slides it onto mine.

"For good luck," He explains, "It's always been good to me, and now you will have a piece of me in the arena, don't screw it up!" He laughs and gives me a hug. I hug him back and slide the ring on tightly to make sure I never lose it. It is finally time. I am ready to become the victor of the 46th Hunger Games.

**Calvin Wilson's POV**

I arrive in Town Square just in time for the Reapings. I identify my brothers West and Danny by their matching sun kissed blonde hair, standing in the 13 year old section. I love them but they are always getting in trouble. I can see that they are talking quietly to each other, with barely contained mirth. I inwardly groan. What could they have done this time? West and Danny are twins, and they are always playing pranks and getting in trouble. You would think that spending so much time with each other, they would fight all the time, but they are like best friends. I try not to imagine what sort of stunt they are planning to pull this time, but my mind is already conjuring up all sorts of scenarios.

Before I can go over and beg them not to do whatever they are planning, the Mayor and all these other important people stroll onto the stage.

"Good morning everyone! Can I get a whop whop!" The crowd responds the chant loudly; I guess everyone is excited for these games. Word has spread around District 4 that the Game Makers thought up something very special for this year's games.

"Then let's find out who our tributes are!" I catch a glance of Danny and West, now looking fidgety, but just as excited as before. Oh no, what have they done…

The escort calls for the ball filled with female names to be brought to the front of the stage, and walks forward to it. Danny and West look like they are about to wet themselves. Her hand begins to dip into the reaping ball, and then I see it. A small set of what looks like wires are positioned just under the reaping ball, where they would be less likely to be seen. They seem to be connected to a power box the size of my hand, which has been carefully taped to the bottom of the reaping ball. I get another look at Danny and West, and I see a small trigger switch in Danny's hand. You wouldn't notice it unless you were looking for it.

Time moves in slow motion for me in the next 10 seconds. My body feels frozen as I watch helplessly as Danny's finger flips the switch in his hand. The reaping ball releases bright pink smoke for a second, then explodes with a noise that sounds like a cross between a fart, and a whizzing sound, right in the escort's face. When the smoke has cleared, the sight is hilarious. The front part of the escort's face is covered in pink ash, and the top part of her hair is sticking up on its end's and has been dyed a bright pink. I have to stop myself from laughing, but everyone else around me does anyway. I can see in the corner of my eye my brothers high five, then disappear back into the crowd of 13 year olds. Smart.

The escort coughs, spitting out a few clouds of pink smoke, and has to be escorted off the stage by the Mayor, leaving just the mentor on stage, he walks up to the microphone, and tries to get the crowd's attention.

"Sorry for that.. uh interruption.. so the female tribute is.. uh…" The mentor obviously has no idea what to do, since the reaping ball was blown up by my twin brothers.

"Me!" A girl calls out from the 14 year old section. The mentor looks relieved and welcomes her onto the stage.

"And what's your name?"

"Seery Janeston!" She smiles.

"Ok, and uh.. Now for the male tribute," He pulls forward the male reaping ball and pulls out a name, "Calvin Wilson!"

No! No! This can't be right! I walk onto the stage like a robot and shake Seery's hand. Despite all the emotions inside of me, I force a smile, but when no one is looking I feel a single tear run down my cheek. I must win, I need to see my brothers grow up. I need to keep them safe.

**District 5 Reaping's**

**Dylan DiMarco's POV**

"Ladies, ladies please." I say smoothly, "No need to crowd, there is enough of Dylan to go around!" The girls around me practically melt at my feet. That is just the effect I have on girls.

"Sooooo," I drawl, "Who wants to come over to my house and have a party after the reapings?" Everyone around me cheers and begins to chant my name. I love having attention, like really. It has become a craving now, like I need it to live. Anyway, the reason I am planning a party after the reapings is because I know I won't be drawn. My name is in there once. Perk of coming from a wealthy family I guess. My father is a wealthy business man, so my family gets all our money from his work. My mother is a stay at home mother, and thanks to her I have never had to lift a finger in my life, except when I want to put my arm around a girl that is.

I begin to start my walk from school to the Town Square for the reapings, but I am followed by a group of 4 girls. Ha! I guess they just can't get enough of me.

"So, um Dylan, I really enjoyed our date last Saturday, so I was wondering if after your party you wanted to come to my house and we could watch a movie or something" The girl on my right asks. Did I date her? I honestly can't remember. I think her name was Jasmine, or was it Jamie? Before I can respond the girl on my left holding my hand cuts her off.

"Excuse me? If Dylan was to go out with someone, it would be me!" She turns to me and speaks with a much a sweeter voice, "So do you want to hang out sometime?"

"Hey wait!" They start arguing over who should date me and I smile.

"Girls, you can all get a chance to ride the DiMarco train, but I only take one passenger at a time. I put my hands on the shoulders of the girl on my left, "And you, are first in line."

When we arrive at the Reapings, I swear the group around me has grown by at least 3 other people. The girl on my right, I think her name was Jessy, left after I put her second in line to date me. I guess some people just can't stand the wait. I take my place in the 15 year old section and ignore the escort's welcoming speech, it's the same every year. I only pay attention when the escort announces the female tribute.

"Sybil Holloway!" A girl with scraggly dark brown hair and grey eyes walks onto stage. I think I recognize her as the homeless girl living in the alley near Town Square. She looks surprised, then suddenly bursts out laughing. What a creep. I don't even bother to hold my breath as the male tribute is reaped. Like I said, my name is in there only once.

"Dylan DiMarco!" I hear a bunch of girls gasp, and I find myself among them. How could I have been reaped?

I walk onto the stage and try to look strong.

"Let's give it up for our 2 tributes!" The escort calls. Everyone cheers. All eyes are on me and Sybil. Wait, everyone is watching me, I have everyone's attention. I am the center of attention around the entire District 5, maybe all of Panem. This is what I have been waiting for! I finally have the spotlight I have dreamed of. These Hunger Games aren't bad, they are my ticket to fame! I find myself smiling again, and this time, it's not forced.

**Sybil Holloway's POV**

I walk onto the stage and I know I look surprised. Straight away I know I am looking too normal.. too average. So once I am on stage I throw my head back and let out a loud laugh, making sure everyone can hear me. I catch the mentor throwing me a glance that seems to say, "what they hell is up with that girl?" and I can't help but smile even more. I love to see people's reactions to my crazy demeanor. The truth is, I'm not really crazy, I just love to act like it. The best part is that now that I am in the Hunger Games, my little crazy act will come in handy. No one will dare mess with the crazy one. Like 4 years ago, a boy from 6 went crazy half way through the games, and won. He won because no one wanted to go near him and left him alone for the entire games.

After the Reapings, I let the peacekeepers take me to the justice building. When we are outside, I notice that a camera crew from the capitol has already gathered near the front, waiting for the tributes to come out after their goodbyes. They haven't noticed me yet, but I decide to give them a good show. I stop dead in my tracks just meters away from the camera crew, collapse on the ground and curl up in the fetal position. The peace keepers are immediately surrounding me, seeing what is wrong. The camera crews have swarmed, forming a cocoon around the ring of peace keepers circled around me. I let out a piercing scream and start to rock back and forth crying out, "Get out of my head! Get out of my head!" I have to stop myself from smiling at their confused faces. The peacekeepers try to hold me down, but I scratch at them and continue to scream. By now all the camera crew have their cameras out and are capturing the moment on tape, probably to show back to the capitol. This continues for about 5 minutes, and eventually a peacekeeper manages to get a hold of my waist and carries me into a room inside the Justice Building. I kick and fight against him, just to keep up the act, but I know I have the crazy girl look sold.

The peace keeper dumps me on the floor and as he exits I hear him mutter something like, "Crazy girl." Again, I have to stop myself from smiling. As soon as the peace keepers leave the room I return to my normal demeanor and pick myself off the floor and scan the small room. I know I will not have any visitors in the upcoming hour. My father died by electrocution when I was 2 and my mother escaped me when I was 7. I live on the streets of District 5, and if you ask me, I wouldn't have it any other way. Everyone here knows me as the crazy girl who lives in the alley between the gun shop and an old abandon shed, which I am pretty sure has become a hangout for the local gang. Little does everyone know that I am a cunning, witty manipulative girl. Boy, are they going to get a shock.

**District 6 Reaping's**

**Aurora Nevet's POV**

"What else can you tell me about what happened that day?"

I have to stop myself from yelling at the psychologist. Her name is Katherine and she is a real pain. I know she is just trying to help, but after 2 hours with her, it gets real tedious.

"I.. I to-told you," I stutter. I really hate my stutter, it's a horrible habit and I always do it when I'm uncomfortable or nervous. I force myself to continue to speak, I can't let Katherine think I'm unstable, otherwise I will never get rid of her.

"It.. it was 8 years ago, when I was 7," I whisper, "My brother Jasper was 10. It was on a really hot day. The house was stinking hot and the water was out in our arena. We wanted to cool off, so Jasper convinced me to come down to the secret creek near our house. We used to always play there." I chock down a sob. "I remember thinking that we shouldn't go without Mom or Dad, you know, we needed someone to watch us, we were only 7 and 10. But he convinced me that it would be fine without them, so I stopped pressing him about it." Tears are now streaming down my face and I have to stop to catch my breath.

"What happened when you got to the creek Aurora?" Katherine asks. She writes some things down on her note pad and I cringe. Yup, she thinks I am crazy.

"When we got th-th-ere, the.. the water level in the creek was way higher than.. than usual. It had been raining really hard for the past month, so the extra water must have made the water rise. I wanted to go ba-ba-ck, b-but Jasper was sure it would be fine. Everything was always fine with Jasper, I always felt safe with him around. So.. so I went along with it. He jumped straight into the creek… but…but…" I can't do it. Remembering that day is too hard.

"But what? What happened?" Katherine presses. I feel like punching her. She doesn't get how hard this is.. how hard it is to remember. My mind is straining to remember what happened next.

"The rapids.. they were too strong. Stronger than either of us th-thought they would be. He.. he got caught up in the current and before I knew it he was being pulled under by the water…" Another tear falls down my face and I swipe it away quickly. I hate looking this weak in front of people. "I.. I jumped into the creek, despite hardly knowing how to swim and tried to save him. T-th-e water was so strong and I couldn't see Jasper anymore. I was only 7. I could barely stay afloat and I felt so alone. I.. remember the water pulling me under.. and th-en.. nothing. I should have stopped him. I should have said something. He could still be alive if I d-id." I collapse in my chair filled with exhaustion. Remembering what happened is almost impossible now. I kept the memory locked up for so long that now it just feels like an old dream.

I watch as Katherine writes some more notes down and there is a moment of silence while I wipe away the last of my tears.

"Now Aurora, based on what I have heard over the past 10 sessions, I just don't feel like we have made a lot of progress in reconstructing your memory from that day, and getting you over the trauma of this experience. I would like to have some more sessions with you, and we need to start getting some more regular therapy for you." What she is saying slowly sinks in. She wants more time to talk about the worst day of my life. The day I barely remember. The day I lost my brother.

I can't stand another moment with her. I can no longer even be in the same room with her!

"No! No more! I can't do it anymore.. it hurts to much!" I yell. I stand abruptly from my chair opposite her and storm out of her office and out into the streets of District 6. No more. I can't think about that day anymore. I walk towards the Town Square for the Reapings by myself, trying to get that day out of my memory.

**Zero Godwin's POV**

"Mum I told you I'll be just fine!" I say exasperated. Honestly, with the way she is talking about me walking to the reapings alone, you would think that there were wild bears or poisonous snakes on the road to the Town Square.

"But what if you get lost? Or get mugged? Are you sure you don't want me to come with you?" My mother is very protective, if you haven't already noticed. She is also very sweet though, and caring.

"I promise you I will be fine Mother! I won't get lost and I won't get mugged!" I sigh.

"Ok, but before you go, let me give you this." She holds out my thin wrist and places a tiny pocket watch in my hand. "This is what your father gave me on our very first date, I want you to have it now." I hug her and say thanks before exiting out the door of our small house. We aren't very rich, and my father works hard to put food on our table.

The walk to the reapings is quiet. I guess I am running a bit early when I arrive at the town square, as the only other person here is a girl with short auburn hair. She is sitting on a nearby park chair and I can see tears streaming down her face. I wonder what she is crying about?

I don't have to wait long before my friends arrive at the town square.

"Zero! What's up!" My friend Hygo strolls up to me casually and gives me a high five. "You ready for the reapings?" He asks.

"As ready as I'll every be." We fall silent. Last year we lost our friend Meumei to the games. She was a really good friend of mine and was only 12 at the time. She made it to the final 5, despite being only 12 and from District 6. We take our places in the 13 year old section and wait for the reapings to start. A few minutes later the escort, mentor and mayor walks onto the stage. No one cheers.

"Helloooo District 6! Are you ready for the 46th Hunger Games?" No one claps or cheers.

"… Ok then," The escort says, looking a little put out, "Lets draw our tributes!" The escort brings up a silver ball labeled 'girls' and the escort draws out a name.

"Aurora Nevet!" A girl from the 15 year old section walks forward. She doesn't look surprised, like she was expecting to be reaped. I realize it's the girl I saw earlier, but any signs of tears are gone, and she stands up straight and try's to look confident.

"And now our male tribute!" I hold my breath as she draws a name.

"Zero Godwin!"

Crap.


	5. District 7, 8 and 9 Reapings

**District 7 Reaping's**

**Bramble Malcome's POV**

"Get out of the way squirt!" I push some little girl out of the way as I walk down the street. She falls to the ground and I can see she has grazed her knees. Her eyes immediately fill with tears and she starts balling on the ground. I roll my eyes and continue walking, unfazed until a voice behind me yells in my direction.

"What do you think you're doing?" A girl about 16 runs towards the girl I pushed to the ground who must be about 13 and pulls her off the ground and dusts her off.

"Sammy he pushed me!" The girl cry's and points an accusing finger at me. Sammy, as I am guessing her name is turns towards me and stares at me with dagger eyes. I shrug at her to show I couldn't care less and continue walking down the street towards Town Square for the reapings.

I make it about 10 feet before a hand grabs my shoulder and spins me round. A fist collides with my face and I stumble back against a wall, seeing stars. What just happened? The figure then grabs my arm and twists it behind my back before finally pushing me to the ground with a huge amount of force. I look up, ready to beat up whoever thought it would be good to end their life early. I am stunned at what I see. The older girl, Sammy, is standing over me, her hand balled into a fist with a look of pure hate on her face. It quickly contorts to a look of surprise, like she can't believe what she had just done. Her shoulder length wavy brown hair is pulled into a ponytail and falls down her right shoulder. Her deep green eyes just keep staring at me, waiting for me to do something. She looks skinny, like sometimes food for her is hard to find.

Now, I may be a bully, but I do have some morals. Like never hit a girl, even if she did manage to beat you up. Thank Panem no one else was around, otherwise I would have never heard the end of it. I do have a reputation to keep. So instead I raise my hands in a sign of surrender. Sammy looks stunned, like she was expecting a fight but she lowers her fists cautiously. Her face softens, and I realize she is shaking with fright.

"Sorry about hitting you.." She offers a hand and pulls me up. I stubble slightly as I pick myself up, and the rest of my dignity, off the ground. Damn that girl hits hard! I have to lean against a nearby wall to steady myself as my vision pulses. I notice that even after she helps me, she doesn't let go of my arm and her grip tightens as her face returns to that look of hate.

"Never hurt Janis again." It takes me a second to register that Janis is the girl I knocked over earlier. With that, she dusts the last bit of dirt of Janis and wraps her arm protectively around her and helps her walk down the street, toward the Town Square.

Once I feel like I can move again, I make my way to Town Square. I guess it took longer than I thought, as when I arrive I find that the reapings are already half way through and they are about to announce the male tribute. I try and sneak into the 17 year old section, but then I hear my name being called, "Bramble Malcome!" I am pushed towards the stage and am forced to take my spot. I just scowl the whole time, and don't bother to answer any of the escort's questions.

"And now the female tribute, Janis Manson!"

**Sammy Tennant's POV**

No! No! No! Not Janis! I can't lose another person in my life. Before I know what I am doing, I run forward and grab Janis's hand and pull her back from the stage, desperately trying to stop her from walking to her death. Peace keepers run towards me and pull me away from her, the last thing in my life worth living for. I scream and try to claw away from them as another pushes Janis onto the stage.

"No! No! I volunteer!" I scream and the peace keepers loosen their grip.

"I volunteer as tribute." I let my words sink in to everyone around me. I see Janis standing on the stairs to the stage, looking stunned. I am sure my face mirrors hers.

"I volunteer as tribute." I have to repeat my words just to make sure I wasn't imagining things. The peace keepers completely let go of me and return back to their posts situated around the Town Square. One gives me a sympathetic look before turning his back.

Janis runs from the stage and catches me in a flying tackle hug and I hold onto her tightly, afraid if I let go she will slip away from me, like everyone else in my life did. I have to bend down in order to level my face with hers. I wipe a tear from the corner of her eye.

"Everything is going to be fine. I'll come back, I promise." I whisper and brush her hair out of her face, much like I have seen her mother do to her after she fell off her bike when she was little.

"That's what Macy said.." she whispers back, and more tears start flowing down her face. It breaks my heart to see her like this. To see her how I was like 3 years ago. My parents died when I was 6, and I had nowhere to go. I was heartbroken and lost. But my best friend Macy took me in and we were happy. Macy became a sister to me. I lived with her and her family and life was great. Then 3 years ago, Macy was reaped. We were crushed when she died in the arena. Before she left, she promised her sister Janis that she would come back. But she didn't. I broke. It felt like there was nothing left to live for. I lost the will to live. I wouldn't eat, I wouldn't sleep and I wouldn't go outside. Then I saw the effect Macy's death was having on her younger sister Janis. She was going through exactly what I was going through. She became my anchor, the reason I allowed myself to continue living.

I don't get a chance to say anything more, as a peacekeeper comes forth and pushes me on stage. I shake my district partners hand hesitantly. I've seen Bramble in action before. Just this morning he pushed Janis to the ground. I kind of hit him in the face, and he has a black eye from it. I feel really guilty, but I no one is allowed to hurt Janis. He loves to pick fights and he is someone I like to steer clear of in the streets. Earlier this week he threatened Janis after she accidently spilt a cartoon of juice on him at school. She came home balling her eyes out and it took the whole night to get her to calm down. She was afraid that he would come in the middle of the night and give her a black eye. So you can understand why I am not a big fan of Bramble. I really don't like him, so I do my best to stare him down, but I fail miserably. He grips my hand tightly and shakes it, then he does something unexpected. He brings me in and whispers, "I'm sorry about Janis." And I can see a look of sympathy on his face. But just as fast as it appeared, it melts off his face and the regular tough guy look appears back. I try and figure out what he meant. He's sorry about bullying Janis? He's sorry she got reaped? He's sorry I had to volunteer for her…

**District 8 Reaping's **

**Lucy Gray's POV**

"Come on Daddy! Let's go play outside!" I pull on the back of his shirt with one hand, trying to get his attention. But he just keeps talking on his mobile phone to some important business client, and points to the phone with his free hand and gives the chatting motion, signaling me to leave him alone. I let out a soft sigh as I leave the room, making sure Daddy can't hear me. I guess I'll just have to play by myself.

I decide to play outside, even if I am already in my reaping outfit. It's one that my Daddy got specially made and sent in from District 11, cause they have the very best fabric there. Daddy even curled my blond hair and put in pink ribbons. My dress is a sickling bright pink and has all these lacy bits on it that itch and scratch me around my neck and wrists. I tug at the bottom of it, trying to make it shorter. These kinds of dresses are so hard to climb trees in. Oh well, I'm sure Daddy won't mind if I play for just a little while, the reapings don't start for another whole hour. I run out the back of our house and into our garden. Not very many people in our District have gardens. I feel really sorry for them, cause that means they can't climb trees, or set up swings or play hide and seek outside. I don't know how they can survive. Back in District 1, everyone had gardens, and sometimes animals would come visit them, like one time Hale and I saw a whole flock of mocking jay's in a tree in our garden. I climb up the nearest tree to the very top, and settle down in the branches. From my spot in the tree I can see all of District 8. A small bird flutters down and perches on the branch opposite me. I instantly recognize it. A mocking jay. I'll call him Jay.

"Oh Jay, I miss my brother." I sigh to him. He seems to chirp back to me, like he's talking back to me.

"My brother is called Hale, he lives back in District 1, which is a long long way from here, like this far-" I demonstrate by holding my arms out as wide as I can. I almost lose my grip and slip out of the tree. "He would always play with me, unlike my Daddy, he's always too busy. Wait? What are you saying Jay? Do you want to play with me?" A huge smile spreads across my face. Yes I know the bird can't actually talk, but sometimes I feel like I have no one else to talk to.

"Ok, I'll hid and you count t-"

"Lucy! Lucy where are you? Don't play games with me young lady come here right now!" My dad calls from the back of the house. I let out a sigh.

"Sorry Jay, looks like we will have to wait until after the reapings. I'll be back soon kay?"

I jump down and run towards the back of the house where my Dad is waiting.

"Lucy where have you been? We need to get going." Daddy says sternly.

"Aw but Daddy, me and Jay were about to play hide and seek!" I say.

"Jay? Who's Jay? Never mind, let's get going." Daddy grabs my hand and I sniff dejectedly. I miss Hale. Maybe I will get to see him soon.

**Chiffon Burrel's POV**

Careful… just 2 more seconds… done! I make sure the man's wallet is safely in my grasp before taking off down the road. Yes I just pickpocketed an innocent man but he was just asking for it! His wallet was just hanging out of his back pocket, begging to be taken. So when my Dad spotted it, we composed a plan. My Dad and I are kind of partners in crime. But the only reason we do it is so that we can buy food and shelter for our small family. Anyway, the plan was for him to start up a conversation with the man, and while he was distracted I pick pocket him. Obviously the plan went off without a hitch.

I keep walking down the street towards Town Square, which is the organized meeting place for me and Dad, since there is a lot of people we can blend in the crowd. I immediately spot Dad among the crowd, wearing a black baseball cap and dark clothes.

"Chiffon! Great work, how much did we snag?" My Dad approaches me and pats me on the back.

"Uh.. I would say about 24 bucks, sweet!" I exclaim as I count the money. I give my father another quick hug before running to take my place in the 12 year old section.

The escort walks onto the stage and grabs the microphone.

"Greetings District 8, are you ready for the 46th Hunger Games?" She cheers, trying to get the crowd excited. Obviously no one cheers back. "Ok then.. let's get onto the reapings, ladies first I guess." The escort sulks. The reaping ball is brought forward and she pulls out a single slip of paper.

"Lucy Gray!" I gasp. I know Lucy, she's the same age as me and we sometimes play together. She is really sweet, but definitely not Hunger Games material. Her family is really rich, so I am surprised she is reaped. She walks onto the stage looking completely shocked, but like also like she doesn't quite know what is going on. Despite her sensitive personality, not a single tear falls down her cheek. I stand up straighter as the escort pulls out the male name. The odds are defiantly not in my favor this year. My Dad has had a lot of trouble finding work, and you can only steal from people so many times, so I have had to put my name in 30 times. I hold my breath as she reads out the name.

"Chiffon Burrel!" Wait.. what?

"Chiffon Burrel?" What's going on? I walk onto the stage and take my place. What is going on? Did I just get reaped? I see my Dad in the audience. I want him up here with me. I need someone to explain what is going on. I'm so confused! I try and call out to my Dad but no sound comes out of my mouth. The escort just keeps talking and soon the reapings are over and it is just me, Lucy the escort and the mentor left in town square. Man, District 9 is screwed this year, both tributes are 12 year olds and I am pretty sure Lucy doesn't quite understand what is going on. Then again I don't either.

**District 9 Reaping's**

**Kall Roswell's POV**

Come on… there has to be something! How can I defy the Capitol in such a way that everyone will notice and everyone will follow. I have been up for hours now, trying to find a weakness in the Capitol. There has to be a way! If I could just get enough eyes on me, then maybe I would be able to pull something off. The problem is no one would ever notice or care about a 17 year old from District 9.

"Kall get your but up here and help out with breakfast or so help me I will come down there and drag you up by your ear!" That was my older sister, Monica. I sigh and wipe the beads of sweat off my forehead. I pull myself off the floor and set aside the stack of books I've been studying on Panem's history. Maybe there is something in the history of Panem that could help me. I don't have any more time to think about it though, as I know my sister is dead serious about dragging me by my ear. Believe me, she has done it before and I have the bruise to prove it.

When I enter our small kitchen I find my family all sitting around the table, already starting breakfast. I grab a plate and absentmindedly drop a piece of bread and slap on a spoon full of jam. I have so much on my mind that I don't realize I miss the bread completely and the jam ends up on the edge of my plate. I take a seat next to my father and halfheartedly chew on the edge of the stale bread. My father is an amazing man. He actually fought in the rebellion in the dark days of Panem, along with his brother, who is of course my uncle. He was one of the very few to escape capture after the rebels failed. My uncle wasn't so lucky. He was tortured for rebel information, and died of loss of blood a month after he was captured. My father started a new life in the closest District from where he was, which ended up being District 9. Here he met my mother and started a family.

My father dreams of another rebellion and I follow in his footsteps. I hate the amount of control the Capitol has on us, and one day I am going to put a stop to it, in honor of my father and uncle.

Breakfast is quiet and I quickly excuse myself, in the hopes that I will get to do some more research before the reapings but my mother quickly stops me.

"Kall I need you to take Ross to the reapings, it's Ross' first time, so you might want to get there a bit earlier." I groan. The last thing I want to be doing is have to take Ross to the reapings. Don't get me wrong I love my younger brother, but I don't want him to have to watch two people get sent to their deaths…

We arrive at the reapings just in time and I drop Ross off in the 12 year old section and take my spot in the 17s. I quickly press my lips to my necklace, which is the family crest and then stuff it back down my shirt.

"And the male tribute is.." The escort announces, "Kall Rosewell!" No no no! I can't have been reaped! My instincts kick in and I make a run for it. Peace keepers are quickly upon me and I try and fight them off. But one gets me with a lucky shot and I fall to the ground. I am dragged onto the stage and I am forced to stand, nursing a newly formed bruise on my forehead.

"And the female tribute is… Monalisa Ryna!" A small girl from the 12 year old section walks forward and I can't help but feel sorry for her. Once again, the Capitol has gotten their way.

**Monalisa Ryna's POV**

"So Monalisa, tell us a bit about yourself!" The escort chirps. I just stare at her. I keep staring for a long time and the escort shifts awkwardly.

"She's a mute idiot!" Someone calls from the crowd, and the escort finally understands and leaves me alone. It's true, I'm a mute. When I was little, I wasn't afraid to do anything. But then I had a bad run in with a peace keeper one night. It was really late, and I am pretty sure the guy was drunk. I was walking down the street, trying to find stray coins. I knew it was after curfew but my family had just missed rent on our house, and if we didn't come up with some money soon, we were going to be kicked onto the street. The peacekeeper approached me and beat me. He didn't stop until he thought I was dead. I lay there on the street that whole night, slowly bleeding to death. It wasn't until a stranger found me the next morning and helped me. I am now terrified of peace keepers, and have been scared out of the will to talk.

There is a long pause before the escort gives up and raps up the reapings. While she does this, I get a good look at my district partner. His name is Kall I think. I almost have to look straight up just to see his face. It sucks being short. Did I tell you what happened when he got reaped? The guy tried to run, and he almost made it too, but then one peace keeper got lucky with a swing of a night stick, so he now has a huge bruise on his forehead. They then had to drag him onto the stage.

After the reapings, we are guided into the Justice Building by peace keepers. I try and steer as far away from them as possible and focus on my walking. Left.. then right… left.. right just keep moving forward. Kall is taken in cuffs to make sure he doesn't try and escape again. I've never actually been inside the Justice Building before, and I have always wanted to see what's in here, but defiantly not as a tribute for the Hunger Games. I flinch as a peacekeeper grips my shoulder and steers me into a small room to stay goodbye.

I know the only people who will be visiting my mother, father and siblings. I don't really have friends because no one really wants to be friends with a mute. My father works as a baker and my mother is a harvester in wheat fields. Every day I go out with my mother and work in the fields in order to earn a few extra coins. Supporting a family of 7 is hard, and being the oldest I took up some of the responsibility.

The door opens and my mother bursts into the room and swallows me in a hug. I try and struggle free but she just grips me tighter. The only noises I can make are silent choking noises as my mother squeezes the oxygen out of me. My father has to tap her on the shoulder to get her to release me.

"Honey, I think you're killing Mona." He says with a smile. I am released, only to be swamped by my four siblings, Cara, Lora, John Jamie. They are all only 6 but they know well enough that I probably won't be returning.

"Please come back Mona." Cara sobs into my chest. I nod and part of my heart breaks, as I know it is a lie. I'm only 12, how could I possibly win the games?

I hug each of my siblings one more time each as a peace keeper enters. I back up to the very end of the room, as far away from the peace keeper as possible. He ushers my family out and I am left alone in the empty room. I allow silent tears to fall down my face as I sink to the floor, completely lost. The room is completely empty, so that as many people as possible can fit into this room. I think about how many children must have passed through here, and how many have died. I am probably going to be one of them.


	6. District 10, 11 and 12 Reapings

**District 10 Reaping's**

**Rochelle Hunter's POV**

"Come on Tom-Tom, get your but out of your room and come outside and play with me!" I call. My brother Tom-Tom spends most of his time in his room, doing nerdy things. So it is a rare moment when he actually emerges and comes outside with me. I just want to do something to fill the hour leading up to the reapings. Even though my name is only in that reaping ball once, I'm still really nervous. My family is quite wealthy; since they are both merchants, and I hate it. Originally my parents both worked in a ranch, tending to sick animals and feeding them. Then a few years ago my father's friend offered him a job as a merchant, and things took off from there. It was amazing for the first year, we finally had enough money to afford food and clothes and we were even able to move out of our small 3 room house into a larger one, perfect for raising a family. But then I realized people were treating us differently. Families of my friends came to us for money, and treated us like a bank. My old friends didn't want anything to do with me, because they said that I was too good for them now that I was rich. I lost all my friends.

My brother runs down the stairs decked out in a huge coat, mittens and a knitted hat that covers half of his face. At this time in District 10 its winter, and it often snows. I spend most of my time going around the poorer part of the district giving out warm meals and spare clothes. I hate this time of the year, so many people die of starvation and the cold, and here is our family with almost too much.

"Relle it's so could outside, can't we just stay inside? I have an assessment due at school tomorrow and I have to get an A." My brother may be only 10, but he takes school way too seriously.

"No way. You've been up in your room all week, that's not healthy. You're coming outside even if I have to drag you out in the snow."

Turns out my brother was dead serious about staying inside, so I had to prove I was serious too. Which is the reason why we are now both standing outside in the cold, and his back and bum are soaking wet. What? I had to get him outside somehow!

"I can't believe you dragged me outside through the snow. You know that count's as child abuse." Tom-Tom grumbles.

"Quit your whining and start building your fort." I reply. I have already started piling up the snow around me building up a protective wall.

"Fort? For what?"

"To protect you from this!" I hurl a snowball directly into his face and he stumbles back and falls into the snow. I start laughing so hard that I have to close my eyes and hold my sides. Big mistake. I am pelted with a snowball directly in the face and I am instantly drenched.

"Hey!" I cry out but I can't hide the smile on my face. I miss spending time with my brother. He's practically my only friend.

"All is far in love and war!" He cry's back.

"Ok ok equals." I quickly dump the snow ball in my hand to show that I surrender. But Tom-tom just hurdles another snowball at me, this one hitting me in the shoulder.

"Hey I said we're equal!"

"But some are more equal than others." He pipes back. I have to smile. Even though the reapings are today, this day has started off well.

**Tucker Levington's POV**

The silence in the room is almost scary as I continue to search it. Stains of my father's blood are still on the walls and the tap in the kitchen is still dripping, like the day we found him dead. I don't bother to turn it off, the rhythmic sound is almost comforting in this room, the room that often haunts my nightmares. 5 years ago my father was murdered in this very house. The peace keepers didn't even bother to investigate the murder, since we are so poor we are a low priority. We moved out after the murder since mom couldn't bear to be in the room where she knew her husband was murdered, and I'm glad we moved out, because frankly I hated the house, and with the added murder of my father I was finding it too hard to sleep there. The house never sold, and no one ever even bothered to wipe my father's blood off the walls. Since the murder I have been coming back to this house every day, trying to find clues to my father's murder. I've never even come close to finding his killer.

I take a seat in my old kitchen and just let the sound of the dripping tap sooth me. I would never let my three younger sisters here, no matter how much they begged to come help I make them stay home. They don't need to see the sight in here. I let out a sigh and pull myself off my seat and proceed to lock up the house, being careful not to disturb my father's crime scene. One day I am going to find his killer, I know it.

I make it on time to the reapings and join the 17 year old section. I catch a glance of my sister Caprice in the 13 year old section and relax my solders. At least for 2 more years while I can still qualify for tesserae she will be safe. After that.. I don't want to think about what could happen.

"Welcome, welcome everybody!" The escort announces. She's dressed up in a completely ridiculous outfit. A dress covered in wheat and a matching headdress. Let's do the female tribute first!" She exclaims. Instantly every girl in the District stands up straighter and looks nervous. No one is safe in District 10 from the reapings.

"And the female tribute is… Rochelle Hunter!" A small girl from the 15 year old section walks onto the stage looking shocked and frightened. I feel sorry for her, she seems so fragile and small.

"And now the male tribute!" The escort pulls out a name from the male reaping ball and reads out the name.

"Tucker Levington!" No way! The escort has to call my name twice more before I finally start to make my way onto stage. My legs feel like jelly and I have to concentrate on moving to make sure I don't collapse and freak out. Once I am on stage I get a good look at the people in the audience. I can see tears falling off Caprice's face, and I can see my mother and two younger sisters in the audience. Now my family will never be safe. Caprice only ever had to put her name in the reaping ball once, but now I don't know what will happen. And now there is no one to solve my father's murder. There will never be closure and he will be forgotten forever, just like me.

**District 11 Reaping's**

**Hachet Gennard's POV**

"Hachet help please!" I hear my 15 year old sister Leona call from upstairs.

"Coming Leo!" I shout back up.

"And don't call me Leo!" She yells. I smile and prepare a hot cloth and a small bowl of soup and take it up the stairs of our small house. I walk down the hall and nudge open my sisters door with my foot, careful not to spill the soup and walk inside. I find my sister lying down on her bed, a few beads of sweat covering her forehead.

"You ok? I ask. I take a seat next to her bed and dab the sweat off her face with the cloth before laying it across her large belly.

"Yeah, the baby decided it would be fun to kick around for a bit, so I had to lie down cause of the pain. But now I'm stuck and can't get up and I have to pee real bad! Can you help me?"

"I hope you mean help getting you up, because the peeing I'm not helping with." I smile and she playfully hits my arm. She holds up a hand and I hold it and help her pull herself up and she quickly waddles to the bathroom and closes the door. Lenora's 15 and pregnant. I know, young. She made some bade decisions when she was younger and ended up getting knocked up by some guy she barely knew. Now she's 9 months pregnant almost due and is determined to make a good mother, despite being young. I have helped her through the entire thing, from when she found out, to moments like now when she just can't get up.

She emerges 5 minutes later looking a lot calmer and walks slowly back to the bed and lies down.

"Oh no I'm going to have to help you up again latter aren't I?" I ask. She just smiles and lets out a sigh.

"Honestly by now I just want him out so I don't have to put up with this anymore."

"Wait, him? As in it's a boy!" I jump from my seat and grip her hand excitedly.

"Yup, I found out it's a boy!" I give her a hug, careful not to squash her and fined a few tears in my eyes.

"Leona that's great, I'm so happy for you!" I catch a glance at the clock on her bedside and notice the time.

"Shoot! We better get going if we're going to get to the reapings in time." I have to help Leona up again and help her down the stairs and out the door. We move at a slow pace and I can see town in the distance. You would think that being pregnant and all, they would excuse Leona from the reapings but no.

We make it to town square with a few minutes to spare and straight away we get several staring looks. A scowl immediately crosses my face and I stare down anyone who stares at Leona. I hate these people, judging Leona without even getting the full story.

"Hachet," Leona whispers in my ear, "Stop scowling." I turn to her and my face softens. I don't know what it is, but I have a huge soft spot for kids. I hate everyone else, but children are so innocent. I know Leona would kill me if she knew I thought of her as a kid.

"Okay. Are you sure you can make it to your section ok? Do you want me to come with you?"

"Hachet no I'm fine. I'll see you after the reapings ok?" I watch her as she walks into the crowd towards the 15 year old section. I take my place in the 18 year old section and wait for the reapings to start.

**Pomona Carver's POV**

I push past a group of small children to get to the reapings on time. I make it just in time and slip into the 17 year old section, not paying attention to anyone's feet I step on.

"Hello District 11! Welcome to the Reapings for the 46th Annual Hunger Games!" The escort calls. Uh, how long will this lady go on for! I want to get back to my family's butcher to finish off some work. It's harvest time so everyone in my family needs to pitch in.

"So, let's just skip to announcing the tributes for this year!" Yes, good skip the boring bits! I watch as the female tribute ball is brought forward first and I feel everyone around me suck in a nervous breath. I just stand there, unfazed.

"And the female tribute this year representing District 11 is Pomona Carver!" Wait.. is that me? I have to stop and let it register before making my way onto the stage. I hold my head high the whole time, but in my head I am swearing all the curse words I can think of. I take my place on stage and try to look as strong and tough as possible. I wait as the escort babbles on before announcing the male tribute.

"Hachet Gennard!" A tough looking boy from the 18 year old section strides forward onto stage. The whole times he just scowls but I can tell as he shakes my hand that he is shaking.

"Good luck." He scowls and I just scowl back. We turn to face the crowd and there is little cheering. Everyone knows that District 11 tributes are weak, but wait until they see me. I work hard at my family's butcher and so I've built up muscle. I have even had some practice with knives. I was taught by my father and am quite good. I can take down my brothers in a wrestling match and I am strong willed. Hopefully this will give me the edge in the arena.

After the reapings we are taken to say our goodbyes before boarding the train to the capitol. I see a 15 year old girl who appears to be pregnant catch Hachet's hand as he walks into the room and they encase each other in a hug and I see tears streaming down his face. I guess he's softer around his family. I walk into my goodbye room and find my mother and two brothers waiting.

"Where's dad?" I ask. I see the sad look on my mothers face.

"He had to continue working, it's Harvest Season honey, you know what it's like." This hurts me more than anything else that has happened today. My own father didn't come to say goodbye.

"Oh well." I say, hiding my disappointment. We chat lightheartedly for the next hour and by the end I have forgotten why we are all here. Then I remember that I was reaped. As my family is escorted out I make a decision on my fate. I will not die, I'm too tough to die, I will come home and prove to my father that I am strong.

**District 12 Reaping's**

**Hayata Dise's POV**

I see my mother. She seems so close, yet so far away. She reaches out a hand and I reach out to grab ahold of it. But her hand dissolves just before I can make contact. No! Mom don't go! I look up from my place on the ground and see her figure fading away into the darkness. Please mom I need you! I try and scream to her but no voice comes out of my mouth. Tears stream down my face as I desperately try to reach her. Then she's gone.

I wake with a start and sit upright in bed. I'm drenched in cold sweat and panting violently. My eyes wildly search the room trying to find something familiar. I'm in my bedroom I realize, and it's the day of the reapings. I'm not outside like I thought I was, and my mother is nowhere to be seen. I let out a sigh and fall back onto my bed curling up into the soft sheets. My mother died of sickness when I was little. The nightmares always haunt me, but recently they are becoming more and more vivid. In the dreams I can see her and she's always so close, but then at the very last second she always slips away and I awake in a fit. Why would she leave us like that?

Since I know I won't be getting anymore sleep anytime soon I get up and prepare for the reapings. Light snow is falling outside, creating a blanket across the seam. I settle on my only nice pair of clothes, a slightly worn out pair of jeans and a jumper my mother made for me long before she died. She purposefully made it too big so that I could wear it for a long time. Her smell is still on it, a mix of lilies, which she used to grow in the backyard and the perfume my father bought for her for their anniversary. I take a deep breath, inhaling her lingering scent and slip out of my window by my bed. I don't won't to wake my father by walking through the kitchen. He was probably up all night at the mines working, so when he got home he probably crashed on the couch. I don't want him to come to the reapings anyway, he has enough on him mind.

I walk in silence down the road to the seam where the reapings will be held. I pass Alex's house on the way and decide to stop and wait for him. We go way back me and Alex. When my mother died a few people came by to give us words of support and love. Alex was one of them. I didn't know him personally but my father knew him from the mines. I found comfort in Alex and he helped me get my life back on track. Now 5 years later we have become close friends, even though he is 3 years older, I see him as an older brother.

"Hey Alex." I greet as he answers the door. He still looks half asleep but manages a smile and we walk to the reapings together. I know that this year Alex has him name in the ball 30 times and I have it in 24 times. We do what we have too to support our families.

We arrive at the reapings and part ways as I take my spot in the 15 year old section and he takes his place in the 18 year old section.

"Welcome welcome everyone!" The escort chirps, "It's time to select one courageous man and women to enter into this year's hunger games!" The mentor brings forward the male reaping ball and I hold my breath, praying Alex doesn't get reaped.

"And our male tribute is.. Alex Jackson!" Alex walks onto stage with him mouth open, looking a mix of surprised and shocked. No! he can't be reaped! But then the female tribute is announced and I have something else to worry about.

"Hayata Dise!" I make my way onto stage and immediately realize that what I do now is broadcasted to everyone around Panem, so I put on a scowl and stomp onto stage, trying to look tough. I shake Alex's hand and then we both just stand there, trying to look strong but on the inside freaking out.

**Alex Jackson's POV**

After the reapings we are escorted to say a quick goodbye to our family and friends, then to the train station. We arrive at the run down train station of District 12 and board the train bound for the Capitol. I gasp as we enter the train. Plush carpets line the floor, and wall to wall mirrors hang right across the entrance room. Soft couches are spread out across the room and a small coffee table sits in the middle.

"Wow." Hayata gasps beside me.

"Yeah." I agree. I take a seat on the nearest couch and put my feet up on the ottoman. Man I could just sit here forever.

"So who wants to watch the recaps of the reapings?" My escort asks as she enters the train. For the first time since we entered the train I notice the TV In the corner. I cringe slightly at the idea of re living my reaping. Let's just say it didn't go to well.

"Do we have to?" Hayata asks stubbornly as she takes a seat next to me. Already I can tell she has a feisty spirit and is someone not to mess with.

"Come on you too, you need to size up your competition." My mentor suggests. I agree and reach for the remote. The black screen crackles for a bit before turning on. I guess it's not used very much.

We settle down as the reapings from each District are re-caped and I try and take in as much information on each one as possible. The first reapings to be shown are the District 1 reapings obviously. The male tribute volunteered, and the female tribute was reaped, but she doesn't seem to scared about it. As she walks onto the stage an evil smile seems to spread across her face.

The District 2 reapings are next and both tributes seem like a threat. Both tributes volunteered, so they must be careers. Mace seems very dangerous, big and confident, and Pearl seems smart and witty. A deadly combination.

District 3 reapings are very strange. The boy is reaped first and looks like a complete wimp. With crocked glasses and a short stature. But then it cuts off before they show the female tribute getting reaped, instead just flashing her photo on the screen. I wonder what happened?

The District 4 reapings are also strange. They don't begin at the very beginning; instead they cut to directly when the female tribute is walking onto stage. She looks very confident and strong. I can't seem to find the escort on the stage, and it is strange as it is the mentor who is doing all the talking. The boy was reaped and I feel sorry for him.

District 5 is next and I can immediately tell that neither of the tributes are a threat. The boy seems to have at least 8 girls clinging to him as he walks onto the stage, and the girl seems completely crazy.

I feel sorry for the District 6 tributes. The girl stutters throughout her entire interview with the escort and the boy just stands there looking frightened. Neither of them look like huge threats.

The District 7 boy catches my eye. He has a lot of muscles and looks very touch. He seems to have a black eye that looks fresh, I wonder how he got that? The female tribute doesn't make much of an impression. She seems sweet, but I'm not sure how far that will get you in the games.

District 8 is screwed this year. Both their tributes are 12 years old. The girl seems very innocent and the male tribute seems scared. Neither make a huge impression, they seem like very forgettable tributes.

District 9 is next. The boy Kall seems like a threat but I feel sympathy for the little girl. She appears to be a mute. I wonder how on earth she will get through the games like that.

I don't like the look of the District 10 tributes. Rochelle seems like a toughfy, and the boy looks very strong. Both as they walk onto stage look calm and collected, so I wonder how they will do in the arena.

District 11 follows and both tributes look like a threat. Pomona doesn't even look fazed when she is reaped, and Hachet just scowls the whole time. I don't want to be allies with either of them, Pomona looks like she would stab you in the back and Hachet looks like he could kill you with one punch.

I don't even want to comment on the District 12 reapings. I look like a startled fish as I walk on the stage and shake my escort's hand. At least Hayata looks strong, I just look like an idiot.

I sigh as the TV automatically turns off. There's too much to think about right now and I find my eyes closing on their own. Maybe everything will be clearer after a sleep…

**The reapings are over *wipes sweat off face* Yay! So I have actually been sneakily working on the training while writing the past 2 reapings, part of the reason these reapings took so long to get out, so I am halfway through and should have it out on Christmas Eve :) The plan is to do 1 training chapter, 1 game makers scores and 1 interview chapter and then it's onto the games :) hehe I'm sooo excited! **

**A quick note to Hachet's creator, I'm so sorry but I made Leona related to him, I just found it a bit easier to write. I'm sorry again! **

**Oh and another thing! I was inspired by another author to do this. In your review leave a link of a picture of who you envision your tribute looking like, it will be interesting to see how you picture them when you are creating them :) **

**Also, thanks to these awesome people who reviewed the last chapter, I'm not lying I always smile when I get a review :) : Acereader55, MissRandomGal, Mimi246, Emishly, Tomas J. Flynn, LoveIsBlindness and Alybobaly I luv u guys!**


	7. Training

**District 2**

**Mace Stranol's POV**

Ha! This is going to be too easy. I exit my room with a spring in my step and take the lift from the 2 floor all the way down to the training room. The lift ride takes longer than I expected, I wonder how deep under the earth we are. I don't have time to figure it out as the doors to the lift open and I walk into the training room. I decided not to wait for my district partner Pearl. I called to her before I left but she just shouted back at me saying in her annoying high pitched voice that beauty takes time, or something along those lines.

As I walk into the training room I find that it is just me and the boy from District 1, and the girl from District 8. I remember someone telling me during the chariot rides that they were related or something. They are sitting in the corner and it looks like the boy has tears in his eyes, what a wimp. He better not be joining the careers.

I don't have to wait long before everyone has entered the training room and we are dismissed to do as we like. Immediately the District 1 girl and my district partner form a group around me.

"So what's the plan?" District 1 girl asks. I remember her from the chariot rides, her name is Jessica.

"I say we get as many people as possible, strength in numbers, what do you think?" Pearl turns to me and I realize she is talking about the career group. Well that was easy to form.

"No, I think we should form as small a group as possible, stealth is key I think." I reply. Pearl scowls but nods her head. I guess there is more to my district partner than looks and flirting skills.

"So how do we decide who gets in?" Jessica asks. I take a good look around the training room, trying to eye up worthy tributes.

"The District 7 girl looks strong." I say. She's at the axe station and she seems to have decent aim.

"No way," Pearl scowls, "I'm not letting her into the alliance." A small growl emerges from her throat as she examines the girl. I don't dare ask for her reasons. If this alliance is going to work, I better not get on any of these girls' bad sides.

"How about the District 1 boy, Hale. I know him and he has been training his whole life, he would make a good ally." Jessica suggests, trying to cut the tension between Pearl and I. She points to him at the sword station, decapitating a dummy. The District 8 girl is standing on the sidelines, watching him with aw. He spots us looking at him and drops his weapons on the floor and beckons the District 8 girl to follow him as he walks up to us.

"Hale, we want you in the career alliance." Jessica says, going straight to the point. I guess she is a no nonsense girl so I have to respect her for that. Most girls from District 1 are completely dizzy. Hale glances at the District 8 girl beside him before replying.

"Fine I'll join, but on one condition." He gestures towards the 8 girl who is looking around the area with an open mouth, oblivious to the fact we are talking about her, "You take my sister Lucy in as well and help me protect her." Instantly I am about to say no. This seems like a horrible idea. The girl must be about 12 and she will only add extra weight to our group and slow us down. Pearl pulls me aside before I can respond.

"I think we should take him, I mean he's got skills and he could be useful. Plus if worst comes to worst we can use the girl as leverage against him." Pearl suggests.

"No way, she's just going to cause problems, it will be another head we have to be constantly looking out for and she will just slow us down, I mean look at her." I argue. We all look at her and they get my point. She's holding Hale's hand, demonstrating how she can stand on one foot without his support. She is the definition of a blood bath.

"But if we don't let Hale in, it just means that it's another head to keep track of in the arena, and he is a definite threat. I say we take him." Jessica argues. He face is dead serious and I can tell she is not going to budge on her opinion. I sigh.

"Fine," I turn back to Hale and his sister, "Your in." Lucy jumps up and down and claps her hands excitedly. This is such a bad idea.

"Ok, who else do we want?" Jess asks.

"Let's split up and take a look around each station, then report back her." Pearl suggests. We split up and wonder around each station separately examining each tribute. I come to the knife station and fined the District 11 girl tossing knives with deadly accuracy into a target, each time hitting the bull's-eye. I smile, she's a perfect addition to our group. I walk cautiously up to her, careful to avoid her throwing hand.

"Hi, my name's Mace," I greet her, "And your Pomona right?" She doesn't even bother to turn to me and just continues to chuck knives.

"Yup, what do you want?" she replies.

"I was wondering if you want to join our career alliance." This catches her attention. She stops throwing knives and grabs a nearby towel to wipe the sweat of her forehead.

"Ok, I'm in." she says with a cunning smile. I wonder if this is such a good idea, she seems I don't know.. cunning, like she would stab you in the back the first chance she got. I shrug the feeling off.

"Cool come with me."

She follows me towards the corner of the training center where our newly formed career alliance has gathered. I notice that we have one extra person, the boy from 5. I never pegged him as career material, if you ask me he just seems like a bit of a womanizer, even his smile seems kind of creepy in a charming sort of way.

"Everyone one this is Dylan from 5, he's joining our alliance." Jessica introduces him. I'm about to ask what the heck she was thinking, this guy seems like a complete idiot but Jess flashes me a look that seems to say 'trust me.' I guess I have no choice, I definitely don't want to get on her bad side.

"All right, now that we have our alliance, who do we think is a threat and want to take out in the blood bath?" Jess asks. An evil smile forms on Pearl's face.

"I want to take out the District 7 girl personally." She smirks. I guess she has some kind of a grudge against her, but I can' think of anytime when the two have actually even been in an exchange. Oh well, the District 7 girl does seem like a bit of a threat so I go along with it.

"And the District 11 guy," Pomona points out. I notice him for the first time and he does seem like a threat, but this whole time he seems to be taking to the 12 year old from 9 and the 12 year old from 8. What would a tough guy like him want to do with to weaklings like that?

"Not to mention the other 7 tribute, Bramble, he seems tough." Pearl adds. I quickly scribble the people down on my hand, 3 names, that should be easy enough.

"Oh don't forget the D10 guy." I say.

"Cool," Jess smiles, "So what do you want to do now?"

**District 7**

**Sammy Tennant's POV**

I keep seeing the career pack staring at me and it's making me nervous. The District 2 girl keeps flashing me death glares so I moved as far away from the career pack as possible. The furthest away station from them is the edible plant identification station so I sigh and take a seat there. The only other person at the station is the District 10 man, Tucker. I saw him during the chariot rides. He seemed really tough and cold, so I don't really want to have to talk to him. I give him an awkward smile as I take one of the books from the station and start reading. I try and take in as much as possible but I am useless with learning these plants. They are so different to the ones in 7 and I find myself getting constantly confused. I finally give up and just decide to take the test to get it over and done with but I quickly realize that was a horrible mistake. I keep getting them wrong and to add to my frustration the tribute beside me keeps getting them right.

"Uh! I give up!" I cry and sink to the floor beside the station. It's just so frustrating! I wish Macy was here with me, she would know what to do. No, I can't think about her, not now.

"Do you want some help?" I turn to the tribute beside me, Tucker who asked the question. I'm slightly taken back at his caring attitude. He seemed so stiff during the chariot rides, but talking to me now he seems so nice. I nod my head in thanks and he takes the plants book out of my hands and flips it to the back page.

"I learnt all these when I was little and I found the best way to do it is to just learn them alphabetically, that way when you need to remember one, you just go through the alphabet. He points to the page in the open book.

"This has everything you need to know, I'll help you learn it." He smiles and I can't help but smile back.

Half an hour later I have edible plants down. I took the test and aced it thanks to Tuckers teaching.

"Great! You aced it!" Tucker pats me on the back. I smile at him as I put the edible plants book back on the table. I get up and we shake hands and part ways. I decide to go to the axe station next, since it is still far away from the career pack but Tucker calls out to me.

"Hey," He grabs my hand and pulls me back, "Do you want to be allies?" I stare at him confused. Why would he want to be allies with me? I mean it took me an hour to learn those edible plants and I'm not extremely good with weapons.

"Ok, I mean are you sure?" I ask hesitantly. He nods confidently and I find myself blushing.

"You don't give yourself enough credit. I saw the way the careers were looking at you, they wanted you to join. Plus with you weapon skills and my plant skills we could be a force to be reckoned with." He smiles again and I feel my blush deepen.

"Oh.. ok, that sound great." I never expected to make allies. I didn't think anyone would ever want to ally with me.

"Cool, hey do you mind helping me with my weapon skills? I suck at combat and I would really like your help."

"Um, yeah sure lets go over to the weapon station and find something you can work with." I reply, slightly taken back at his question. He's asking for help from me?

After a lot of trialing, we decide that he is best suited with a knife. Considering he almost took me out on his backswing with the spear, I think this is the best choice.

"Sorry about before." He says smiling at the knife I picked out for him. It's a simple weapon, but it does require a fair amount of skill to use. Tucker is actually pretty good at it too. The bell rings for lunch and we put away our weapons before heading towards the lunch area. I see someone waving to him and I think it must be his mentor.

"Ah, sorry I better go, Harry is calling me, I'll catch up with you later kay?" he flashes me another smile before running across the training center to meet his mentor. I find a goofy smile pasted on my face for the rest of lunch. I made an ally, and I made a friend.

**District 3**

**Eve Cane's POV**

I don't eat much for lunch, too much on my mind. I try and stay focused on the games but my mind keeps wondering to my family back home. I wonder how my mother and sister are doing without me. I hope they are coping ok. Ever since my brother and father were killed things have been pretty hard on them. You see, 5 years ago we were in pretty deep. We were barely getting by so my brother and father resorted to stealing. But one day they were caught stealing from the factory they worked at, and were sentenced to death by the peacekeepers.

I have to push these thoughts out of my mind, focus on the competition. I scan the room and size up my competition, it's the best way to stay ahead.

The District 1 boy Hale is a definite threat. Then again he has his younger sister Lucy from 8 to watch over, so that could slow him down. I know that in a fight, he would do anything to protect her, which could be a huge problem in the games.

I don't like the look of Jessica from District 1. She seems like a blood thirsty killer and I am trying to avoid her at all costs. She's joined up with the careers and they already have about 7 people in their alliance, definitely a force to be reckoned with.

The District 2 boy Mace is another boy I want to steer clear of. He's already identified himself as head of the careers so he will definitely go far. I've seen him at the weapons station and he is wicked with a mace. But he does seem a bit over confident and looks like a bit of a bully.

I don't know what to think of my district partner Bassolo. Ever since the reapings, he has been following me but has never said a word to me since I helped him out with those bullies back in District 3. He seems like the typical District 3 nerd, but I could be wrong. He seems to know a lot about edible plants and I have seen him hanging around the knots station a lot.

I expected the District 4 boy Calvin to join the careers so I was surprised to see him by himself. Throughout today he has been quietly talking to a select amount of people but hasn't hung around anyone for very long. I guess he's sizing up allies.

Like her district partner, I thought Seery would have joined the careers. She is amazing with a trident and seems to be very brave. She appears very social, and like Calvin has been quietly chatting to tributes around the training center.

I can't believe the careers accepted Dylan into their pack. He seems like a complete womanizer who is way to overconfident and cocky. I've seen him flirting with just about every female tribute in these games so I've steered clear of him. He's decent with a bow and arrow but definitely not career material.

Sybil from 5 just completely confuses me. 1 minute she is completely calm the next she's on the floor screaming at voices no one else can hear. When she's not on the floor I've seen her on the track and she is wickedly fast. I've also seen her at the trap station and she's pretty good at those as well.

I feel sorry for the District 6 female tribute. She completely freaked out during the chariot rides and they actually had to belt her into the chariot to keep her in. I talked to her once at training and she has a stutter, but she actually seems quite brave. I wonder if she will get any allies.

Zero from District 6 just won't stop talking. He's sitting with Aurora at the District 6 table and he just keeps blabbering on. I think Aurora is just too polite to tell him to shut up. He's decent with a knife but that's about it, I'm guessing he's untrained in just about everything. He's definitely not a threat.

I've been completely avoiding Bramble from 7. He seems like a giant bully and much too aggressive to have allies. Despite that I've seen both Calvin and Seery talking quietly with him. He's great at hand to hand combat. Overall he just seems like a bit of a thug.

I like the girl from District 7. She seems really kind, but also quite quiet. I've seen her at the edible plants station with Tucker from District 10 and they seem to be in an alliance. I'm not sure what to think of their alliance, cause from where I was standing there seems to be something more to it than just being allies.

I've seen the District 8 boy at the weapons station learning how to use a slingshot and he's getting quite good. He's been talking to Hachet from District 11. I'm really confused about that alliance, Hachet's like 17 and Chiffon is 12. He's also been hanging around Mona Lisa from 9, so I'm not sure what's going on there.

Lucy from District 8 isn't a threat but she's in the career pack so she is heavily guarded. She has her older brother Hale's protection but I doubt she would ever hurt a fly. She hasn't even been learning any skills, she just sits on the sidelines and watches her brother as he practices. I guess Hale doesn't want her to learn any of these violent skills.

The District 9 boy Kall seems very shifty. He's got good sped but most of the time I've just seen him wandering around the training center looking at the walls and ceiling, like he's trying to find an escape route. He has also been talking to Calvin, maybe creating an alliance.

Monalisa is a mute tribute. I know this from watching the re-caps of the reapings. She's great at camouflaging, but other than that she doesn't have any skills that stand out. I am pretty sure she has formed an alliance with Hachet and Chiffon.

Like I said earlier, Tucker and Sammy are in an alliance. During the chariot rides he seems so tough and scary, but talking to Sammy I've noticed him loosen up and actually laugh. He seems to care about her more than an ally. He is really good at edible plants and Sammy seems to have taught him how to use a knife.

Rochelle from 10 seems naturally timid and shy. So far I've seen her talking to Aurora and Zero, so maybe they are in an alliance. If they are I'm not too worried, Aurora barely talks and Zero talks way too much. She seems so innocent, but I have seen her cast a few glances at Hale from 1, so I'm not sure.

Hachet seems really intimidating, but that might just be the fact that he's so tall and has such big muscles. He's been practicing with a club and has been getting better, so I'm going to try and avoid him. The weird thing is that he's formed an alliance with two 12 year olds, I'm not sure what he was thinking there.

Pomona got an offer from the careers and took it. She is amazing with knives and throws them with deadly accuracy, so I can see why the careers took her in. She is also great at hand to hand combat, I even saw her take down the combat trainer in a wrestling match.

The District 12 boy seems like another huge threat. He's great with a bow and arrow and appears to have some experience in camouflage. He is also very stealthy so I will have to look out for him in the arena.

Finally the District 12 girl, Hayata. Like her district partner her weapon of choice is a bow and arrow, although she is not as good as him. I actually forgot about her until now. I guess she is trying to go under the radar.

I sigh as the bell rings signaling the end of lunch. I get up and walk towards the weapon station and pick up a bow and arrow. My aim might not be the best but a least I can actually use a weapon. In the corner of my eye I spot Bassolo hiding behind a rack of weapons, watching me intently. I try and faze him out but he just continues to stare at me. Uh! Why won't he leave me alone!

**District 4**

**Calvin Wilson's POV**

I take another shot with my spear and completely destroy the dummy with one shot. Yes, I remember how to do it. I was worried I might be a bit rusty on my skills but I am happily surprised. I put the spear back in its allocated spot on the weapons wall and take a seat on a nearby create. I need to find allies if I am going to survive. I am definitely not going to join up with the careers. They just stab each other in the back and only one of them usually gets out alive. My plan is to start a group of anti-careers. Sort of like the rejects from the careers, that way I will have strong allies, but won't risk being stabbed in the night by an ally. Hopefully we will be strong enough to take out the real careers at one point in the games too.

I take a look around the center and size up my options. The career back is grouped in the corner, most likely discussing strategy. I see the District 12 girl Hayata at the archery station shooting with a bow and arrow. She's quite good, hitting a bulls eye every few shots. She would make a good ally so I approach her once she has put her weapon down and taken a seat to tie her shoe laces.

"Hi, um can I help you?" She asks as I approach her. I take it as my cue and take a seat beside her. Her face instantly hardens and looks at me cautiously.

"What do you want?" She asks in a more snappy tone.

"I wanted to ask you if you want to join my group, you know become allies?" I question. She finishes retying her shoelaces but continues to fiddle with them, contemplating her choices. She finally sits up and faces me, fiddling with the zip on her jacket.

"Sorry, but I'm sort of already in an alliance." She says in a kinder tone. She points to a girl across the weapons station practicing with a trainer using a trident and I realize it's my district partner, Seery.

"She offered first so I sort of owe it to her to stay loyal." She explains.

"Oh, ok that's fine then." I get up and look around, trying to find anyone else to add to my alliance.

The next person I spot is Alex from 12 at the knot tying station. He's intricately weaving rope together to form a detailed trap big enough to trap a person. I decide he could be a valuable ally so I decide to talk to him. I walk across the training center and approach him casually.

"Hey, that's a pretty cool trap." I say, and I mean it. Close up I can see just how intricate it is, and I can tell that is someone were to get trapped in it, there would be no way of getting out.

"Thanks." He grunts, but doesn't look up from the trap.

"So um, do you want to join my alliance?" I ask skipping right to the point.

"Sorry but I'm already in one." He points with one hand without looking up in the general direction of the weapons station. I realize he is pointing to none other than Seery.

"She offered me to join her anti career alliance, and I thought it sounded like a pretty cool idea, so I joined." He explains. My jaw drops wide open. My district partner is stealing all my potential allies, and not only that, she's forming her own anti career alliance!

"Ok thanks anyway." I get up and storm down to the weapons station, with the intent of giving Seery a piece of my mind. How dare she steal my idea! Now I'm usually a pretty quiet guy for someone my age, but this is just pushing me to my limit.

I find Seery with a trainer in the practice ring, fighting with a trident.

"Hey! I want to talk to you!" I shout from the sidelines. She takes one more tackle at the trainer, bringing him to his knees and positions the trident in the kill position.

"I win." She smirks. She drops the trident on the floor and pulls herself through the ropes of the ring to stand by me.

"What do you want Calvin?" She asks exasperated. She picks up a water bottle and takes a sip.

"What do I want? What's the big idea, your stealing all my allies! It was my idea to form an anti-career pack and you're stealing it." I yell right at her. She just shrugs unfazed. For a girl who is 2 years younger than me she sure knows how to push all my buttons.

"First off, they were never your allies to begin with, I asked them and they accepted. Second, I came up with the anti-career pack idea years ago, from studying and research so if anyone's stealing an idea, it's you," she points an accusing finger at me, "Third, if you want to have an anti-career pack so bad, then just join mine, and forth.. well I can't think of a forth right now!" She says sternly back. I think about this for a moment. If I join her alliance, she will probably lead it, then again everyone by now probably has allies so this is my best bet.

"Ok, I'll join your alliance, but on one condition, I get to be leader." I say. She scowls.

"No way, I formed this alliance so I'm the leader!"

"Fine, how about co-captains." I compromise. She seems to think about this hard before answering.

"Fine, co-captains." We shake hands on it and for the first time since I've met her she smiles.

"Let me introduce you to the pack then." She calls over to the two people I spoke to earlier, Hayata and Alex. She also calls over to the District 7 guy Bramble and the District 9 man Kall. All together there are 6 people in our alliance. A little bigger than I was planning for, but definitely a solid group.

"So which station do you want to go to next?" Kall asks.

"That one." Seery and I say and point in unison. I look and see where she is pointing, which is the swimming station, which is the complete opposite too where I am pointing, the camouflage station.

"We are going to the swimming station." Seery say's sternly.

"No," I drawl," We are going to the camouflage station."

"Um guys," Hayata stands in-between us before we can tear each other's head's off, "Maybe we should just-"

"No way! I'm not compromising with this guy, we are going to the swimming station." Seery crosses he arms in front of her to show she is not budging.

"Fine!" I throw up my hands in exasperation, "Let's just do something already." Man this is going to be a long day.

**District 9**

**Monalisa Ryna's POV**

Uh! I'm never going to get any allies. The day has just been a string of failures. I started off at the camouflage station but got kicked out after I accidently spilt the paint all over the District 8 tribute Chiffon, who's skin is now tinged slightly blue. Then I went to the first aid station where I ended up burning the brew that was meant to heal burns. And I'm a cook! I never burn things! I finally decided to try my luck with the weapons and try and find one that works for someone as small as me. But all these weapons seem designed for tall and strong tributes, the complete opposite of me.

I let out a silent sigh and drop the club I was trying to learn how to use on the floor. I may as well just give up now! I'm a bloodbath for sure this year. I notice the District 11 boy looking at me from his place across the track. He begins to walk in my direction and I flinch away. He looks so touch and a permanent scowl seems to crease his face. Why is he walking towards me?

"Can I borrow that?" He asks. I back away until I realize he was referring to the club I had dropped on the ground. I am slightly startled by him kind attitude. The scowl suddenly disappears as he talks to me and he seems much kinder.

"There's only one in the center," He explains, "So if you're not using it do you mind if I take it?" I just stand there, staring at him.

"What's your name? Mine is Hachet, it's nice to meet you." He says politely. I just continue to stare, I mean it's not like I can respond anyway. He quickly remembers this and apologizes.

"Oh! Sorry, I forgot about that.." He says quickly. I nod to show him it's ok and pick the club off the ground and hand it to him. I suck at using it anyway.

"Thanks Monalisa." He smiles and walks away. Wait, did he remember my name? I continue to stand there, watching him walk away. He seems to sense this and turns back to me.

"Do you want some help?" He asks kindly. I nod my head hard. He seems so nice.

"Ok, your quite small, so how about-"He walks over to the weapons wall and pulls down a cross bow, "This." He hands it to me and it feels comfortable in my small hands. It's light so I can carry it easily and I could easily conceal it if necessarily.

"It's really simple to use, I think it will be perfect for you."

For the next half hour he helps me learn how to use it and by the end I have a pretty decent aim. We take a break and sit down on the nearby bench. A question has been nagging me in the back of my head ever since he offered to help me. I grab a note pad and pen from my backpack I placed at the end of the bench and scribble down my question. Hachet leans over my shoulder to read it.

"Why do I want to help you?" He reads aloud. I nod. I mean, He's a strong 18 year old from District 11, why would he want to help me, a mute 12 year old from 9? He seems to think hard about how to phrase his answer before replying.

"You remind me of my sister, Marigold. She's 7 but she's so much like you it's scary. You have the same black hair and green eyes and are both so small. She's a mute too you know, so people often forget about her. I guess being around you makes me feel comfortable, like there are still a few normal things in my life. Plus, I love little kids and I feel sorry for you, your 12 years old, you shouldn't have to go through this." There is a silence while I scribble down my response.

_I'm not a kid. _

He laughs at my response.

"Now you sound exactly like Marigold."

After a few minutes we get up and he takes me over to the first aid station so I can reattempt the burn healing brew. I tuck the pen and pad into my back pocket in case I need it again. I take a seat and dive straight in. Hachet takes a seat next to me and proceeds with a much more advanced recipe, not even needing to glance at the instructions. The beginning bit of the brew is easy, just cut up some herbs and crush them into a paste. I find this part a breeze. My father is a baker and I often help him out so I know a lot about cooking. It's the next part that I always struggle with. I have to boil the paste until it turns into a solid form, but the brew is so unlike any food I have worked with that last time I tried working with it I burnt it. This time I work much slower, constantly checking on it to make sure I haven't ruined it. I notice the District 8 boy who is also at the station watching me with curiosity. It's really putting me off but I just ignore him as I finish the brew. I carefully scoop up the solid from the pot and place it into a bowl. I smile happily at my work. It looks exactly like it does in the book which means I finally did it right.

I reach my hand to my back pocket to grab my note pad and pen so I can tell Hachet I have finished, but where my note pad should be my hand finds air. Dang it did I drop it somewhere? I get on my hands and knees and crawl along the floor, checking under the station and under the pots and pans to see if I accidently dropped it but I come up empty. Without it I can't communicate to anyone. I continue to search but then I spot the District 8 boy who was looking at me earlier fiddling with something. As I approach him I can make out the object in his hands, my notebook! He pickpocketed me! I storm up to him and tap his shoulder maybe a little too hard to get his attention.

"Oh hey." He says sheepishly. I give him a stern look and he quickly passes me back my possessions.

"Habit." He explains with a smile and I can immediately tell he's a thief. I smile back and scribble something on my pad.

_It's ok. _

He smiles and we stand there in an awkward silence. I can tell he's hoping for an alliance so I write something down on my pad.

_Allies? _

His smile grows wider

"Thanks!" He pipes as I write one more thing on my pad.

_Just let me go check with my other ally, I'll be back in a sec._

He nods and I run over to Hachet who is finishing off his brew. I tap him on his shoulder and hold out my pad

_Can District 8 boy join our alliance?_

He glances over at the boy who is standing awkwardly waiting for me to come back with an answer. Hachet nods and I grin back at him. I like Hachet a lot. I motion over to District 8 boy to join us and he walks up to us.

"Welcome to the group." Hachet says. I realize that 8 boy must be only about 12 like me. Hachet is allying himself with two 12 year old? I shake the thought. I now have allies, people who can help me. Maybe now I have a chance.

**District 10**

**Rochelle Hunter's POV**

I cringe as I look up at the clock hanging at the top of the training center. I have 2 more hours to prepare to fight to my death in the Hunger Games. 2 more hours to learn all the skills I need to survive. Throughout today I have found next to no allies. I mean I asked a few people, but they were already in an alliance. I asked the District 3 girl Eve but she said she would prefer to go alone. I even asked her district partner Bassolo. He seems so weak that I thought he would welcome an alliance, but when I asked he said he already had an alliance. But throughout today I haven't seen him talk to anyone today. He hasn't even been to any stations, he's just been following around Eve. I'm not sure if she realizes it though.

Most of the people are starting to wind down now. I can see the career pack sitting in a large circle, laughing and getting along great. Sammy and Tucker are working at the first aid section. The anti-career pack as they call themselves are all working at the weapons station helping each other find the perfect weapon. Then there is the alliance between the District 11 boy and the two 12 year olds Chiffon and Monalisa. I'm not really sure what's going on there.

The only station I can find that is fairly empty is a weird one that I have never heard of before. The label above the station says 'Mythology'. Why would we need to know about mythology in the arena? I don't think this station has ever been here before these games, as it's placed awkwardly behind the camouflage station and the first aid station. I guess if the game makers thought it's important enough to add a whole other station for this year's games, then it will be important to me.

I take a seat awkwardly, not sure what to do and a trainer approaches me.

"Hello! Welcome to the Mythology Station. I will be your guide. Gather round everyone, this session will take about 2 hours and we have a lot to cover!" The District 6 boy and girl are also at the station so they join me and take a seat around the trainer. I feel like I'm in school again. For the next two the trainer talks about all aspects of Greek mythology. From the Gods to Hell Hounds. I notice the District 6 girl taking notes and I curse myself for not thinking about doing that. There's so much information to take in that I find myself only retaining about half of what she says. By the end of the two hours I am completely baffled.

"So that's about all the time we have. Thank you!" The trainer leaves us so that she can close up her station. It's the end of training and I have no allies.

"Well that was fun what should we do next? I think we should go to the weapons station- Ohhh what about the camouflage oh what about the first aid that looks cool!" I hear the District 10 boy Zero ask the District 6 girl Aurora.  
>Zero, w-we have to go back upstairs now, tra-in-ing is over." Aurora stutters. I can tell that they are in an alliance, and an idea comes to me.<p>

"Hey!" I call out to them. Aurora stops and turns around.

"I was um, I was wondering if I could join your alliance. You're from District 6 so you know a lot about medicine, and I'm from 10, so I know about plants and food, we could work together." I reason. She seems to think this over but before she can answer Zero answers for her.

"Oh really! That's so cool sure!" Aurora just smiles. She seems very quiet, the complete opposite of Zero.

"Ye-ah, ok." She answers.

"Cool, I'll see you in the arena then." I smile. It sounds a bit harsh but it's the truth. After today, we just have the meet with the game makers and the interviews before the arena. It's only 2 days away.

We say our goodbyes and my two allies leave the center. I hang around for a bit. I don't know why, I just felt like I need some quiet time. I know if I go upstairs I will be pelted with questions by my mentor and escort, and I just need some time to myself. I take a seat by the mythology station and start fiddling with my necklace. It was my mother's before she died. It's got a small flower charm on it and every time I look at it I remember her.

"That's a nice necklace." I hear someone say. I look up to find the voice and I find the District 1 boy Hale standing to the side of me.

"I didn't think anyone else was here." I say quietly.

"Me neither." He takes a seat next to me. I remember he's the boy who also has a sister in the games. I feel like I have to say something to him, something comforting.

"I'm sorry about your sister." I say abruptly. He stares at me for a bit with an analyzing eye.

"It's ok, I mean it's not like it's your fault. She got reaped, so I'm here to protect her." He says in such a matter of fact tone that I realize he has already come to the conclusion that he is going to die. He has to if his sister were to win. We sit there in silence while I try and phrase my next words right.

"I'll.. I'll look out for her in the arena, I promise." I have no idea why I'm making a promise to a stranger. I barely know this guy. He is one of the 23 tributes who will try and kill me in the arena A small smile appears on his face.

"Thanks, that means a lot." There is a pause.

"Do you have anyone back home?" Tears immediately form in my eyes when I think of my younger brother, Tom-Tom. I wonder how he's doing.

"I miss my brother, Tom-Tom." I confess. "I miss my father. I miss my life. I don't want to be here." For the first time since I was reaped I allow myself to break down. I couldn't do it at the reapings, everyone in Pamen was watching me. I couldn't when I was saying goodbye to my family; I had to be strong for them. And I couldn't in training, every tribute was watching me, and analyzing me. But here in the comfort of a stranger, I find all the feelings I have been holding in the past week let lose. Tears begin to stream down my eyes and my body shakes uncontrollably.

"I'm so-rry." I babble. Hale just puts a comforting arm round me and holds me close. The gesture is oddly comforting, and I feel safe. I don't know how long we stay there for. By the time I have cried myself out I am exhausted. Hale props me up and hands me a tissue from his pocket. I look up at him.

"I had my breakdown last night, I'm good now. It's just something that has to be done." I let a small smile crease my tear streaked face. We both get up, knowing that if we stay here much longer people are going to start looking for us.

"Good luck." He holds out a hand and I shake it.

"Good luck to you too. Thanks, you know for before." I babble again.

"Don't mention it."

** So here is an over view on the alliances in case you are confused.**

**Career Alliance:  
><strong>**D1: Hale Gray  
><strong>**D1: Jessica Rose  
><strong>**D2: Mace Stranol  
><strong>**D2: Pearl Chrysler  
><strong>**D5: Dylan DiMarco  
><strong>**D8: Lucy Gray  
><strong>**D11: Pomona Carver **

**D7: Sammy Tennant  
><strong>**D10: Tucker Levington **

**D4: Calvin Wilson  
><strong>**D4: Seery Janeston  
><strong>**D7: Bramble Malcome  
><strong>**D9: Kall Roswell  
><strong>**D12: Alex Jackson  
><strong>**D12: Hayata Dise**

**D8: Chiffon Burrel  
><strong>**D9: Monalisa Ryna  
><strong>**D11 : Hachet Gennard **

**D6 : Aurora Nevet  
><strong>**D6 : Zero Godwin  
><strong>**D10: Rochelle Hunter**

**D5 : Sybil Holloway **

**D3 : Eve Cane**

**D3 : Bassolo Thomas **


	8. Training Scores

**District 12**

**Hayata Dise's POV**

I'I wake up drenched in sweat, tangled in the mess of sheets. I think I ended up kicking them off in the middle of the night, I don't want anything Capitol made around me. I try and untangle myself from the bed sheets and end up falling onto the floor with a such a loud bang that my teeth rattle. I pull myself up and shuffle around my room for something to wear. I find a pair of clean clothes laid out for me on top of my nightstand. A simple pair of black shorts with a gold band around the bottom of each leg, and a lose fitting white short sleeve top to match, as well as a pair of Capitol made running shoes. I put them on and exit out my door into the corridor, hoping to find Alex. I need someone to talk to right now, I feel so messed up inside and Alex always knows the right thing to say. I've known him for so long now that he's become the closest thing to a brother I have ever had, and the closest thing I will find to a family around here.

Turns out everyone else is already up and I find Alex sitting in the lounge like area of our floor, staring out the window.

"Hey." I greet. He nods in return and I take a seat next to him on the sofa.

"You ok?" He asks straight away.

"As well as you can be when you 2 days away from being thrown into an arena with 23 other tributes trying to kill you." I reply.

"22 actually." He smiles. "Besides," He continues, "We have a great set of allies, I don't think anyone will be trying to kill us anytime soon." He says with a small chuckle.

"That is if Calvin and Seery stop fighting anytime soon." I say.

"I don't think they realize how much they like each other, they're just too competitive." He replies. I nod. Throughout the whole of yesterday, Calvin and Seery fought about almost every little thing, even stupid things like whether it was better to run in the rain or walk. Calvin suggested Seery go out and walk in the rain to find out, which started another whole argument, don't ask me how we even got onto the topic.

"So you ready to show the Game makers what you're made of?" Alex asks with fake enthusiasm. I smile and let out a small sigh.

"I'm afraid I'm going to muck up, or do something stupid." I admit.

"Don't worry about it. Now let's go, they're probably going to want us down there soon."

We catch the lift from the 12th floor all the way down to the training center entrance hall. Along the way a few tributes join us the lift, including the pair from 2, so we just stand there in silence while the other two gossip and chat away. When the doors open we are directed into a room just off from the training center and we take our seats in order of our districts, which means that Alex and I are last. Slowly the room fills with tributes and soon the room is filled with noise and chatter. I just sit there, shifting uncomfortably on my seat, waiting for my turn. I wonder what it will be like. I've seen the Head Game Maker on TV before. Her name is Golden. She has shoulder length golden blonde hair to match her name and scary blue electric eyes. I know that she scores very harshly, which makes me even more nervous.

I watch as a guard enters and asks for the District 1 boy Hale to stand and follow him into the center. This is it, they're starting now. I know it will be a long while for my turn, so until then I just have to sit and wait.. and wait.

**Head Game Maker**

**Golden's POV**

I take a seat next to my fellow game makers in the stands above the training center and pull out my clipboard. One of my jobs as game maker is to watch and score each tribute. I enjoy this part, as you get to see what each tribute can do, or in some cases, can't do. Since I am head game maker, I get the final decision on scores so I know I will have to concentrate hard for the next 3 hours. I let out a sigh, it's going to be a long 3 hours.

I motion to the guard standing by the door to the training center and he lets the first tribute in. I wave my hand at the District 1 boy to motion him to start. He starts off his 15 minutes by walking to the weapons station and pulling out a deadly looking sword. He takes a few experimental swings at a dummy before decapitating it with an expert swing. I nod my head in approval, the guy definitely has skill. He then drops the weapon and takes to the track that runs along the outside of the training center and runs a full lap. I am impressed at his speed and write down my final score.

The District 1 female is next and she walks in looking very confident. I don't have anything against career tributes, but they do have an unfair advantage. The girl's blonde hair is pulled into a ponytail to keep it out of her face and she gives it a flick before starting. I motion for her to start and she takes off towards the climbing wall. The girl has a lot of agility for being 13 and scales the wall in a few minutes flat. When she reaches the top she simply lets go and I suck in a breath. Surely she is going to fall. Instead she performs a flip in the air and lands on her feet with ease. We all clap at her performance. To finish off she asks for a trainer to come forth and tackles him down easily. She clearly also has a lot of strength. I smile as I write down my score.

The muscular man from District 2 enters next. I have been informed that this man is the head of the careers this year so this should be interesting. He walks slowly and confidently over to the weapons station like he has all the time in the world and pulls out a mace. He swings it around for a bit and I can tell he there is no form, he just relies on brute strength. Despite this he takes down a dummy in a few swings and completely destroys the remains as well. He spends the last few minutes throwing knives into a target and he has amazing aim and there is a lot of power behind his throw. The timer buzzes to signify the end of his time and I motion for him to leave.

A scowl covers the face of the District 2 girl as she enters. She looks very intimidating and dangerous. She starts of at the knot tying station which I find very weird. I expected a strong looking career like her to start off with something that makes a bit more of an impression. For the next 8 minutes she sits with her back faced to us, weaving something. Most of the Game makers become bored and dig into their meals. But when she stands up and shows off the finished product I am pleasantly surprised. She has weaved and entire whip out of rope, including the handle and it looks deadly. The game makers approve and wait for her to use it. She asks a trainer to approach her and she springs onto him, wrapping her newly made whip around his legs bringing him crashing to the ground. She then expertly wraps the whip around his neck and proceeds with squeezing the life out of him. Luckily the timer buzzes before she can actually kill him.

Up next is the District 3 boy. As he walks in a couple of game makers behind me laugh and I can't help but chuckle. He's a typical District 3 boy, with a crocked nose and crocked glasses to match. He walks cautiously over to the weapons station and pulls out a knife. He tries throwing it at a target but it hits it handle side and falls to the ground. With a discouraged look on his face he walks to the center of the stage and for the last remaining 6 minutes recites Greek mythology. As he leaves I write down my score and laugh. He's definitely a blood bath.

I expect his district partner to be the same as him, however I am pleasantly surprised. She walks in with some confidence however I am not sure whether this is put on or natural. She takes a bow and arrow from the rack and strings 3 arrows. This should be good. I feel all the game makers around me lean in wondering what she is going to do. She releases them and all 3 fly in a direct course for the dummy, however at the last minute the top arrow flies upwards and the bottom arrow flies downwards. The end result is the dummy pierced in the head, heart and stomach. That was amazing. I nod my head in approval as she then takes to the track, sprinting while continually firing arrows into different targets around the center. Not only is she amazingly fast, but she also has great aim. I smile as she leaves the center.

The District 4 boy is next. The second I say start he sprints towards the pool and dives straight in. He is very fast but nothing very impressive. Sensing this he jumps out and grasps a trident with one hand and asks 5 trainers to come at him. I watch as he takes down the first one just by pushing his trident strategically into his stomach, making the trainer back up in pain. He takes down the second and third by tripping one over using his trident and pushing the off balance trainer into another. He takes down the last two easily and in a few minutes flat he is the last one standing. He finishes up at the edible plants station and leaves.

District 4 girl is next. She enters looking a mix of self-conscious and determined. Like her district partner, a trident is her preferred weapon and she uses it with just as much skill as well, taking down a dummy in a few seconds. She runs around the track a few times with the trident to demonstrate her stamina and strength then lifts some weights to finish. She seems like a survivor in the arena, and I write down her score as she leaves.

The next person to enter is the District 5 boy. By now I am getting tired and I just want to finish! I sigh and wave my hand for him to start. Immediately I can tell that he is far too overconfident as he starts off by finding the biggest weight set he can find and attempts to lift it. I have to stop myself from laughing as his pathetic attempt to look strong. He then goes to the edible plants station and creates a fairly complicated brew from plants and drinks it to prove it's nonpoisonous, By now he still has 5 minutes still to fill so he grabs a bow and arrow and fires a few shots. He places a few decent shots, however nothing impressive. He walks out confidently and I write down his score.

I'm very confused about the next tribute. She walks in and I tell her to start but she just stands there. I call out again in case she didn't hear me and her head snaps up, as if she only just saw us. Her eyes grow wide and she walks like a zombie over to the weapons station and pulls out a fairly basic looking knife. Then she calls for the entire training crew to attack her. I brace myself for the outcome. However just as the first trainer is about to make contact she collapses onto the floor and lets out a piercing scream. Her eyes dart around the room widely and I can barely make out what she is saying. Eventually two guards have to pick her up and escort her out. As she leaves I see her throw a quite glance at us and a small smile creeps onto her face.

The next tribute to enter is the District 6 boy. District 6 tributes are always weak so I don't expect anything spectacular from this tribute.

"Hello my name is Zero and I'm going to do some stuff for you!" I nod and motion for him to start, but the kid just keeps on talking.

"And can I just say that it's so cool to see you up there! How did you get up there is there like a lift or are there stairs because before I sa-"

"Thank you! You may begin." I cut him off. He just nods and goes over to the first aid station where he wraps a dummy and puts a temporary cast on it's leg. He then proceeds to make a healing brew and covers the dummy's arm with it. It's impossible to see what the results of the brew are, as well, it's a dummy, it's not going to tell us. I nod to tell him that his time is up.  
>"Ok well thank you for watching me! Wait, can you actually see me because-" A guard comes and escorts him out, otherwise I know he would have sat there all day and talked.<p>

His district partner is up next and I can tell that she is the complete opposite to him. She is slightly shaking and she looks very shy. She walks in with her auburn hair covering one eye and with a shy look on her face. To start she walks over to the weapons station and pulls out a dart gun, which not many people use. Next she walks over to the edible plants station and creates some sort of broth. I stare at her confused as she covers the darts with the broth and then runs to the opposite side of the center. She shots a few darts into a dummy and I watch as they pierce the dummy's skin. It's skin seems to boil and the dummy melts into a puddle on the floor. The girl watches from the sidelines looking timid and unsure. I realize what she has done. She purposely created a poison from the plants and coated the darts. She's very smart and creative and I nod approvingly.

Following her is the man from District 7. He takes his place in the center of the center and waits for me to give him the all clear. I scribble down the last of my notes from the previous tribute and wave my hand to motion him to start. He just stands there.

"Excuse me, you may begin." I call in a stern voice. I don't like being kept waiting. He just continues to stand there, a scowl on his face and his fists clenched at his sides.

"Make me." He spits back. How dare he! Does he know who he's dealing with? I'm the Head Gamemaker, I could end his life in an instant.

"Excuse me?" I call back, my angelic voice contorting into a deathly one. He just continues to stand there. This guy really needs to learn who to pick his fights with. He is definitely not the brightest bulb I've ever seen. He spends his entire 15 minutes standing there scowling, and when the timer goes off he turns around and leaves shouting back

"Thank you for your time." I guess some people just want a bad score.

After he leaves, the girl from 7 enters looking scared and shy. I motion her to start and she takes a deep breath and puts on a brave face as she walks over and picks up an axe. She walks over towards a dummy and I see a small moment of hesitation in her before she lunges at it, taking out the dummy's head and slicing it in half. She follows by asking a trainer to approach her and demonstrates her stealth and swiftness by turning her axe 180 degrees in her hand and tripping him up with the handle of her axe. The trainer goes flying towards the ground; however at the last second the girl pulls him up and swings him so that his back is pressed into her and holds the axe to his throat. A very impressive display and I smile as she releases him and offers him a hand up.

Up next is the 12 year old from 8. Poor District 8 this year had two 12 year olds reaped. I notice straight away that he shifts uncomfortably from foot to foot the whole time, as if he were constantly trying to stay in the shadows of the center. He seems to have all the telltale signs of a thief. He starts off at the knot tying station, constructing what appears to be a basic slingshot. He then grabs a few knives from the weapons station and positions them into the slingshot, although they don't seem to fit quite right. He fires one and I am impressed to see it sink into the outer ring of a nearby target. He fires two more, landing them on the second ring from the outside. All and all and average performance. He finishes at the first aid station creating a decent brew and leaves.

I quickly scribble down the previous tributes score as the next tribute walks in and when I look up I am filled with sympathy. A little girl who can only be 12 years old with blonde curls and an innocent expression on her face stands in the middle of the floor, waiting for the signal to start. She just seems so harmless, it is definitely going to be hard to kill this one in the arena, and ok it might actually be fun. I wave for her to start.

"Ok, I'm going to show you my skill of playing hide and seek, so close your eyes and count to 20, then see if you can find me!" She laughs up to us. I nod questionably at her, however close my eyes and we all start counting, feeling like complete fools. When we reach 20, I open my eyes and scan the room for the little tribute. This is so weird. We sit there for 5 minutes, trying to find her amounts the equipment in the center. Where could she be? It's not like she could just escape from the center.

"Uh.. ok come out now!" I call. Oh man, what a story this will make, a little girl escaping the training center during a game of hide and seek with the Game Makers.

"Over here silly!" I locate her small body squeezed between the back of the rock climbing wall and the wall behind. She leaves and I write down her score. That was possibly the weirdest game makers sessions I have ever had.

The District 9 boy walks in with mixed emotions on his face. I remember this man from watching the reapings, he was one of the two who tried to escape. I nod for him to start and he walks cautiously over to the weapons station and pulls out a knife. He then returns to the center of the floor and I wait for him to do something. He stands there for a few more seconds, then he moves. He runs straight towards the wall beneath us and we all get up off our seats and lean over the edge to see what he's doing. I watch as he scales the wall beneath us with one hand, then hurdles the knife towards us. I flinch, waiting for the impact that never comes. I hear a loud clang, and as I open my eyes I see the knife deflected by the force field around us. Thank Panem they decided to put that there. 5 guards rush in and drag the boy out while he kicks and screams. I write down the lowest score I can possibly think of as he leaves, attempting to kill Game Makers is not a smart move.

I have to try and regain my composer enough for the next tribute; however I find myself shaking as I motion the small girl to start. I remember her as the mute tribute; I wonder how she ended up like that. She puffs up her chest and grabs a cross bow from the shelves of weapons. She then runs towards the ropes in the corner hanging from the ceiling, designed for climbing, and clambers up one at a very fast pace. Once she has reached half way, she grabs onto a nearby rope and twists it around her left leg with her free hand, creating a sturdy foot grip and proceeds to do the same with the other, leaving both her hands free to shot the cross bow. She fires two shots into dummies at the far end of the center. One arrow misses completely, while the second lands it's mark in one dummy's chest. I write down her score as she leaves.

Finally we are down to the last 3 Districts! I let out a sigh as the man from District 10 enters, not caring if her hears me, and motion him to start with a sloppy wave of my hand. He walks towards the plant identification station and starts making some sort of brew. I notice straight away that he is tossing in some very poisonous plants as he goes. I wonder if he actually knows which plants are edible and which aren't. Wouldn't it be funny if he drank it! Maybe he would end up dying, and that would just create more paper work for me, so maybe not. I soon realize that the concoction he has created is not one for drinking. He picks up the finished brew and walks towards the weapons station, where a row of dummies stand. He tosses the brew onto one of the dummy's and I watch as it takes its effect. The dummy melts where ever the brew touches it and in the end all that is left is a small puddle. Very impressive.

Following him is the District 10 female. She seems very timid as she picks up a knife discarded on the floor from a previous tribute and asks for 3 trainers to come at her. I can see as they approach her that her brain is working fast, anticipating their movements and strikes, and I am impressed as she dodges and avoids their swings. However not once throughout the entire fight does she take the offensive side, instead she remains voluntarily on defense, unwilling to use her weapon. If this were the arena, I would have killed her by now. Slowly she tires the trainers out and their actions slow and eventually have to stop fighting her, which is when I finally figure out her strategy. She tires out her opponent's instead of striking. I write down her score as she leaves and gesture for the next tribute to enter.

The next tribute is the District 11 man. He is very muscly and has a mean look on his face. He grunts and walks over to the weapons station and pulls out a club. He approaches the dummies and tosses the bat around, knocking everything in a 5 foot radius around him to the ground. Like the District 2 man, there is not much form to his swings, just brute force and muscle. Next he drops the bat and asks for a trainer to wrestle him. He slams him to the ground the minute he is in walking distance of him and throws his fist into the trainer's stomach. There is a satisfying groan from the trainer and it is obvious who has won that match. Personally I am not a huge fan of brute force alone, so I have to argue about the final score for the man with my fellow game makers.

Following him is the District 11 female. She enters with a confident look on her face and heads straight to the weapons station and pulls out about half a dozen throwing knives. She then calls for 2 trainers to attack her and I wait to see what she will do. Both trainers attack her at the same time, and I watch as she dodges them, avoiding their attacks and almost dances around the room avoiding them. She seems to be trying to move towards a certain position, however I can't identify what, or why. My answer quickly comes as she lands on the center of the floor and as on trainer runs directly at her, she throws her knife. I watch as the knife flies between the trainers legs and implants its self in the bull's eye of the target at the far end of the training center. I understand what the girl was trying to show me, her ability to hit a far off target with distractions. She is definitely a worthy opponent.

Down to the last District. I barely notice when the boy from 12 enters and starts. He walks over to the knot tying station and constructs an intricately woven net out of rope and knots then walks over to the weapons station and pulls out a bow and arrow. He motions for a trainer to approach him and as he does the boy throws his net in a way so that the trainer's legs become tangled and he falls to the ground in a mess of rope and knots. He then notches an arrow and fires it towards the trainer on the ground. It misses and lands by the trainers head, however I know if he wanted to he could have killed the trainer.

Finally the last tribute of the day! I try and pay attention as she walks in and starts. To begin with she starts grabs a bow and arrow and walks over to the camouflage station. She turns her back to us and I watch her small hands move, grabbing paint and fake leaves off the shelves. Finally she turns and shows us what she has done and I must say it is very original and clever. Instead of camouflaging herself, she has camouflaged her weapon, painting it a mixture of browns and greens, with fake leaves attached here and there, making the bow and arrow resemble a fallen branch from a tree, which I can imagine in the arena would make it very easy to counsel. To finish she fires some shots into a target and all hit the second most inner circle. As she leaves I write down her final score and sigh. Finally we are finished.

I pick myself up and leave without a word, leaving my fellow game makers behind in the center. I can tell that by now most of them are drunk and I have no desire to be around them at this time. I check over my clipboard with contains the scores for the tributes and catch the lift to the very top floor of the building. I need a rest before I hand these scores over to the media to be broadcasted to the rest of Panem.

**District 5**

**Sybil Holloway's POV**

After being 'escorted' out of the training center, I wander around down the corridors before returning to my floor via the lift. I know it will be a while before they show the tributes scores, so I have some time to fill. Man the looks on those game makers faces were hilarious! Best reactions ever if you ask me. I've definitely sold the crazy cover for sure now. And the best part of it is that I know I'll definitely get a bad training score, which means my opponents will underestimate me completely.

I walk into the nearby lift, pressing the 5 button as I enter and wait for the doors to close.

"Hold those doors!" I hear someone yell. I furiously press the close button door, I'm not in the mood to act right now, but a pair of hands manage to catch the doors just before they close and pry them open enough to squeeze through into the lift. I let out a sigh as I recognize the face. Dylan, my district partner, aka the womanizer. I've seen this guy flirt with over half the female tributes in just the short time we've been here. Luckily he avoided me, since he thinks I'm crazy.

"Oh… hey." He says as he realizes who I am. I guess he doesn't want to be catching a lift up with a crazy person. I pretend that I don't realize he is here, and start talking back to my reflection in the wall of the lift. Dylan casts me an awkward look and remains silent for the rest of the ride up.

The doors open on our floor and I sit down on a nearby couch and flick the TV on. Dylan takes the seat opposite me, trying to be as far away from me as possible. Our escort and mentor join us and we sit quietly as the training scores are flashed onto the neon television set.

First up is the District 1 tributes. They flash a picture of the male tribute's face, and the digit 7 follows. I guess the guy is more of a competitor than I thought. Following him is his district partner, Jessica who is scored with an 8. A good score for both tributes.

Following them is the District 2 tributes. I am amazed to see them both get awarded with 9s. Considering the boy is the head of the career pack, and the girl is pretty deadly I can see them both getting high scores.

Next is the District 3 tributes. I laugh maniacally as the District 3 boy's score is shown. A 4, what a weakling. However his district partner surprises me, getting a 6. A good score for someone from District 3. I'll have to look out for her in the arena.

District 4 is next, and both tributes are awarded with a score of 7. I can tell that's not going to settle well with either of them. They seem to be in an endless rivalry, so getting the same score will definitely annoy them even more. Maybe they will end up killing each other in the arena, now that I want to watch.

Our own District is next. I watch as Dylan watches on confidently, then his face contorts to surprise as his score is shown. A 5. Ha! I bet he thought he was going to get a 10. My score is shown and my smile widens. 2. Our mentor sighs. So far I have gotten the lowest score out of everyone, let's hope I can keep it up.

Following them is District 6. District 6 is always weak so it is no surprise when the boy is awarded a 4. What surprises me is the female tribute. She got a 7! This definitely catches me off guard and I have to struggle to keep my crazy composure.

Next is District 7. The male boy Bramble's face is flashed on screen and his score follows. He got a 1 for his performance! What on earth could he have done to get a one! Sammy gets a 6 which is pretty good.

The tributes from 8 are next and the boy is given a 5. The small girl is given a 3 for her performance. Huh, 1 more point than me, and I had a crazy attack in the middle of mine. I wonder what she did?

9 Is next and my fists clench at the male tributes score. A zero. How did he manage to get a zero? That makes my 2 look great! He's going to pay for that. His partner gets a 5 which is surprising considering she is a mute tribute.

District 10 is next. The man Tucker is awarded an 8, which is just as good as some of the careers. I guess he's another opponent I will have to look out for in the arena. The girl gets a 5 which is pretty decent.

The next District is 11 and both scores surprise me. The boy gets a 6, which is pretty low compared to what I was expecting him to get. Then the female's score is shown and I have to suppress a gasp. She got a 10! Now I bet the careers are glad they added her to their little pack.

Finally District 12 is shown and they are both awarded a 6. I expect as much. The man looks strong enough, and the girl seems like a survivor.

The TV automatically switches off and I immediately get up and wander to my room. I take a long shower to wash the craziness of the day off me and slide into the silk sheets of my bed. Tomorrow are the interviews, another chance to prove my craziness It's going to be a fun day.

**Overview of scores:**

**D1 Hale: 7**

**D1 Jessica: 8**

**D2 Mace: 9**

**D2 Pearl: 9**

**D3 Bassolo: 4**

**D3 Eve: 6**

**D4 Calvin: 7**

**D4 Seery: 7**

**D5 Dylan: 5**

**D5 Sybil: 2**

**D6 Zero: 4**

**D6 Aurora: 7**

**D7 Bramble: 1**

**D7 Sammy: 6**

**D8 Chiffon: 5**

**D8 Lucy: 3**

**D9 Kall : 0**

**D9 Monalisa : 5**

**D10 Tucker : 8**

**D10 Rochelle : 5**

**D11 Hachet : 6**

**D11 Pomona 10**

**D12 Alex : 6**

**D12 Hayata : 6**


	9. Bloodbath

**District 1**

**Hale Gray's POV**

"You ready for this Hun?" My stylist asks. I simply shake my head. No way am I ready for this. She fiddles with my outfit with her expert hands, straightening out my clothing and making sure everything is presentable one last time. I glance down and stare at my outfit in confusion. Most years, the tributes are put in some sort of running gear, outfits that are easy to move and fight in, but this year is very different. I'm dressed in lose black running shorts which have gold bands running across each leg. An army style muscle back t-shirt covers the top half of my body. The white color makes my skin look even paler. The final piece of the outfit is what confuses me the most. A red hooded cloak that falls to about my knees. I've never seen a tribute outfit like this before. Sandals cover my feet, giving the entire look a Greek feeling.

I step onto the launching pad and wait for the countdown. I wave a small goodbye to my stylist as the glass tube encases me and the floor beneath me begins to rise. This is it. I can hear the announcer's voice becoming clearer the higher I am taken by the launch pad, and before I know it, I'm outside. I know I have exactly 1 minute to get my bearings. My head whirls around and I try to take in as much of my surroundings as possible. The tributes are all positioned in a circle around the cornucopia, which stands an equal distance from everyone. I quickly identify Lucy by her height. She's positioned between Rochelle and the District 3 boy Bassolo. Good. I know for sure Rochelle won't hurt Lucy, she made a promise after all, and I know Bassolo wouldn't hurt another 12 year old. I glance at the tributes either side of me. Pearl is on my left, and Pomona is on my right. That's good too. I have allies either side of me, all I have to do is get to Lucy in time.

My head snaps around and I get a good look at the entire arena for the first time. In front of me, just behind the cornucopia and ring of tributes is a lake. The water shimmers welcomingly but my instincts tell me that looks can be deceiving. A dark river that seems to pulse with a dark aura flows off from the lake to my left, splitting half way and goes right to the edge of the arena. In the far right corner, I can make out a huge golden temple. Around me, soft green grass grows and small flowers dot the floor. It all looks so scenic, so innocent. Ruins of old coliseums seem to be dotted everywhere around the arena and that's when it hits me. The theme this year is Greek Mythology. Everything about this arena screams it, from our outfits to the arena itself.

My minute must be almost up by now. I position myself ready to run and wait for the final boom.

3..2..1.. BOOM!

I ignore everything around me and run straight for Lucy. I let my legs carry me as fast as I can and everything else around me blurs, become simply a mess of color and sound. I try and avoid any tribute I cross paths with but just to be safe I grab a sword lying on the ground next to me as I run. All tributes don't seem like hanging around for a fight, instead either running to grab supplies or taking off to get as far away from other opponents as possible. I see Lucy just standing there, still on her launch pad, looking confused and frightened as tributes around her run about, grabbing supplies, finding allies and killing each other.

Then I see it, or rather him. Bramble from District 7 comes up behind Lucy, an axe in hand and grabs her from behind, throwing her down to the ground. I see tears well up in Lucy's eyes as Bramble stands over her, holding her down. What kind of a cruel person would kill a 12 year old!

"Lucy!" I run as fast as I can to reach her. No way am I going to let this thug take away my sister. I sprint as fast as I can towards them but in my heart I know I won't make it. Bramble seems to raise his axe in one hand, ready to kill and holds Lucy down on the ground with another. She wriggles and tries to fight her way out of his grasp, clawing and scratching his hand and arm with her nonexistent nails but it doesn't even seem to faze the man. He has a cold look on his face, like he couldn't care less about ending this girl's life.

Suddenly Bramble shakes and falls unexpectedly to the ground, narrowly missing Lucy. A small throwing knife embedded in his back. Rochelle stands over him, a frightened look on her face and she scrambles and helps Lucy up off the ground. This girl just saved my sisters life. She quickly pulls the knife out of Brambles back when Lucy is not looking before sprinting away to joins Aurora and Zero who are waiting for her at the opposite end of the cornucopia. I guess they are her allies. A pang of guilt fills me, I should be with her, not with these stupid careers. I can only stand and watch as the small pack of 3 runs away, in the direction of the lake.

"Someone stop them!" I hear Mace call. He's engaged in a fight with the District 9 man Kall so can do nothing as the tributes escape with supplies. He seems to have the upper hand at the moment so I know he will be able to handle it. Kall managed to snag a knife and is doing a pretty good job at keeping Mace at bay, but I'm sure Mace will be able to take him down. I turn my attention back to the small alliance running away.

"I've got them!" I hear Jess shout out. No! she's going to try and kill Rochelle. I try and scream out but Jess is too fast and quickly catches up with their alliance. She's so fast that I know they will be no match for them. She leaps onto Zero's back and pulls him to the ground. I watch as Rochelle and Aurora stop dead in their tracks and run back to help their ally. 'No!' I scream mentally. 'Leave Zero, just get away from there!' Rochelle grabs a knife from her backpack which she grabbed from Bramble and throws it at Jess. It misses completely, embedding it's self in the ground by Zero. It's too late for him anyway, Jess raises her dagger and brings it down directly on Zero's skull without a hint of hesitation. I squeeze my eyes shut as she ends the small boy's life.

Sensing there's nothing they can do, I watch as Aurora tugs at Rochelle's cloak and practically drags her away from Zero's body while Jess is preoccupied with Zero's dying corpse. The two run off into the distance and I'm glad to see them get away safely. I definitely owe Rochelle one for saving Lucy.

I turn my direction back to my sister who has been cowering behind me this whole time, gripping my hand like a lifeline. She shouldn't be seeing this, she doesn't deserve to be a part of this horror. I grab her small hand and I guide her over to where the career alliance has formed in the middle of the war zone. Maybe if I could just hide her somewhere until the bloodbath is over.. There! I see a fallen column from a nearby ruin and I can make out a small space between it and the ground, big enough to climb through where I'm sure Lucy will be safe and hidden. I kneel down so that I'm eye level with my sister and speak slowly and as calmly as possible to her.

"Lucy, I want you to listen very closely, do you want to play hide and seek." Despite everything that is going on around us she nods her head eagerly. "Ok, you hide, and I'll come find you latter okay?" She nods her head, "But this is very important, you don't come out until I come get you okay?" I stand up and she sprints over to the column and sneaks into the crack where I'm sure she will stay, after all she takes her games very seriously.

I can now turn my attention back to the fight at hand. So far 2 tributes are dead. I can see the District 3 girl Eve running into the distance with a large pack back and a bow and arrow. Bassolo seems to be following after her, but I can't remember if the two are actually in an alliance. Oh well, she's too far away now any way.

The next tributes I spot are Hachet, Monalisa and Chiffon. Hachet is engaged in a battle with Pomona, and I'm sure she can handle him. It's the other two I'm worried about. Chiffon is grabbing supplies up from the cornucopia with his greedy little hands and he already has 3 backpacks slung over his shoulder and several weapons. I can't let him get away with that many supplies.

"Hale I've got Hachet; you take down the brat with the supplies." Pomona calls to me. I nod without thinking and grab my sword off the ground and tackle down the poor District 8 boy. His weapon falls out of his hand as I tackle him to the ground and I hear the crunching of bones, so I can tell I've definitely broken one or more of his ribs. Fear is reflected in his chocolate brown eyes as he struggles underneath me, desperately trying to reach for his weapon that was knocked aside in the struggle. I can see blood coming from his body underneath me, so I'll end it quickly for him; put him out of his pain. I raise my sword and Chiffon instantly stops struggling. He can tell the end is near. I bring it down right where is heart should be and his eyes immediately dim. No cannon goes off, since the blood bath is still in motion, but I can tell he's gone.

I pick myself up and kick away any supplies that are near the now dead body. My hands and top are covered in his blood and I make an attempt to scratch off the dried red liquid. The boy put up more of a fight than I expected for a 12 year old. Wait. A 12 year old…

I am immediately filled with guilt and regret over killing Chiffon in cold blood. He's only 12, just like Lucy. What makes them so different? Why should she live and he die? Now whenever I see Lucy's sweet angelic little face, I'll see his dying one. I shudder and furiously scratch off the blood on my hands. My breathing becomes labored and I knell down and have to concentrate on breathing.

I practically killed Lucy just then. Chiffon was like Lucy in every way, and I killed him without a second thought.

**District 2 **

**Pearl Chrysler's POV**

The fight continues as I make a run towards the cornucopia and grab the last remaining whip from the pile. I've dreamed about this moment for so long now and I can barely contain my joy as blood is split all around me. Two tributes are already dead, one who was a definite threat. Things are going well, now all I need to do is find that girl from 7 and take her down, and I will be the world's happiest camper.

I guess I should explain my hate towards that idiot from 7. My older brother entered in the games a few years ago, and was the favorite to win. He had a training score of 10, and sponsors to match. He was a sure win for the games, but then things went wrong in the first few seconds he was in the arena. His back was turned, and the female tribute from 7 killed him in the first minutes of the games, only to be later killed by another tribute. She ended my family's chance of fame and fortune, and more importantly ended my brother's chance for life. Even though technically it wasn't this tributes fault, I need my revenge, and Sammy from 7 was going to be my outlet.

I spot her, Sammy, running from the cornucopia with the District 10 man Tucker. I can tell they are in an alliance but there is no way I'm letting them get away. Each has a bright red backpack and I can tell Tucker is armed.

"Jess!" I call over my shoulder to my ally, and possible friend. I'm not sure yet. We get on well, so that's a start. She gets up from the District 6 boy Zero's body and stands at my side.

"Over there," I point out the two running towards the lake," You take Tucker, I've got the girl." I practically snarl my last comment. Finally I will get my revenge. Jess nods and an evil smile crosses her face.

"My pleasure."

We take off in a running sprint and catch up with the tributes easily. They sense us coming and Tucker quickly tosses a knife to Sammy before turning to face Jess. Jess sidesteps his lunge with his knife and slowly draws him away from Sammy, giving me an opening. I'm going to make this as slow and painful as possible for her.

Sammy turns to me and positions the knife awkwardly in her hand. I can tell she is not trained in this kind of weapon by the way she holds it. A determined yet scared look crosses her face, one that I have never seen before. She looks at me with a scared look, waiting for me to make the first move.

"What's wrong? No one's here to help you now. You're all alone." I snarl. I can tell I've hit a nerve as she lunges at me and makes a swipe at my arm. I feel her knife come in contact with my soft skin and I hold back a gasp. Girl's tougher that she seems.

"I've been alone for a long time now, this isn't the first." She whispers back. It's my turn to take the offensive side and I crack my whip at her feet, winding it around her feet immobilizing her. She falls to the ground onto her back and gasps as the wind is knocked out of her and I know it's a victory for me. She struggles in vain as I position myself over her, sitting onto of her body and a pull out a small knife that I slid into my belt at the cornucopia. She's a lot smaller and lighter than me, making it easy to pin her down. Her eyes widen at the knife in my hands.

"Surprise." I whisper into her ear, "This is for my brother." I raise my knife and trace a small line across her cheek. Blood rises up to meet my knife. She winces and wriggles beneath me, trying to get away.

"Oh don't worry, there's more where that came from. When I'm done with you, they'll have to scrape up chunks of you off this arena floor." I carve another small line just below the first and her face pales even more. I lift my head back and laugh. Finally, my brother will be avenged. I don't even notice as the small girl reaches out an arm and grasps the small knife discarded in our fight.

Crap.

She swipes the air in front of me, making me leap off her and back away. Blood slowly trickles down the two wounds on her face, however they are superficial wounds. Nothing to stop her from killing me. She pulls herself off of the ground and holds the knife out defensively with a look of hesitation on her face. I realize she is not going to kill me, not willingly.

Then I am suddenly flying towards the ground. A body smashes against mine and I fall, gasping as I hit the ground hard. The figure clambers off me and I realize it's her ally, Tucker. I struggle to get up and can only watch as the two take to the wind, running into the distance towards the lake. I pull myself up and see Jess doubled over in pain a few feet away from me. Tucker must have sucker punched her in the stomach then made a bee line for me, saving Sammy the guilt of killing me. I practically growl as I walk over to Jess and help her walk over to the cornucopia where the other careers are finishing off the battle. I'm not mad at her; I'm mad at both Sammy and Tucker. They both got away, and I lost my kill. They are going to pay for that.

We make it back to the cornucopia and find that there are few tributes still around. The entire alliance of 'Anti Careers' are nowhere to be seen, so I assume the all made it away, well, everyone accept Bramble. I saw Rochelle take him down. Eve and Bassolo, the two tributes from 3 made it away unhurt, as well as crazy girl Sybil and the other alliance of Aurora and Rochelle.

That just leaves District 11 Hachet and District 9 Monalisa. Both are engaged in combat with Mace. Mace seems to be holding up ok, but he can't seem to make the kill shot with his sword. Monalisa is trying to help Hachet, but he seems to try and keep her away from the fight as much as possible, as if he is trying to protect her or something. Mace gets in a good few shots with his sword every now and again, but Hachet manages to hold him off. I decide he needs some help to finish them off.

I run in their direction and can make out the words coming from their mouths as I get closer.

"Monalisa, just run! Get away now!" I hear Hachet call. The girl Monalisa just shakes her head violently and throws another rock via slingshot at Mace. It hits him on the leg and he stumbles to regain his balance.

"I'll be fine, just run to where we agreed and wait for me there okay?" Hachet tries to reason with her. The small girl finally nods and makes a run for it in the direction of the golden temple in the far right corner of the arena. She's too far away from me by now for me to attack her, so instead I turn my attention back to Mace and Hachet. Mace seems to have gained the upper hand quite quickly and is now slashing at the man's legs. Hachet stumbles back and falls to the ground and that's when I make my move. I flick my wrist and my whip coils around his thick neck, and I proceed in squeezing the life out of the man. Hey, I have to have at least one kill today. He claws at the rope as I slowly suffocate him, and soon his body relaxes as his fight for oxygen ends.

4 canons go off to signify the end of the bloodbath. We regroup around the cornucopia to assess the situation and everyone's wounds. Dylan suddenly appears from behind the cornucopia and blends in with our group. I can tell he's been hiding there the whole time, not bothering to come out and fight, however I don't mention this. He's Jess's kill anyway.

"So what supplies did the other tributes take off with in the end?" Hale asks. He walks over and joins our small huddle, Lucy in tow. I didn't see her in the Bloodbath either; I guess Hale hid her away somewhere so she wouldn't get hurt.

"I saw Sammy and Tucker make off with a pack each, and Tucker has at least two knives left." Jess says. She pulls out the first aid kit and begins to bandage up her wounds she received from Tucker.

"The pair from 3 grabbed a small backpack and the girl Eve got a bow and arrow." Jess continues.

"I saw the anti-careers get away without a scratch. They have at least 5 backpacks between the 6 of them, and Hayata grabbed a small first aid kit too. They all seem to have weapons as well." I say with a scowl. I can't believe they all got away with so many supplies.

"Not to mention, that small girl Monalisa is all by herself, both her allies died in the bloodbath, as far as I know all she has is a slingshot." Pomona comments as she carefully trims her nails with her newly acquired knife. I shudder, that girl just creeps me out.

"And finally there's Sybil, my crazy district partner." Dylan says casually. He takes a seat next to Jess and I can tell he's trying to make a move on her. "She actually made away with food, a backpack and a knife." He adds, snaking a hand around Jess's shoulder. Jess immediately shakes it off and slides away from him, repulsed.

"I feel like we're missing someone." Mace says. He's been counting off tributes on his fingers, and two still remain up, indicating there are still two tributes left uncounted.

"Rochelle and Aurora." Hale says almost immediately, as if he's been thinking about it forever. Lucy is sitting on his knee, bouncing up and down and giggling slightly.

"Ok, so that's not too bad, 4 dead in the bloodbath, it's been less right?" Dylan asks.

"Nah, it's not so bad, and who knows, that total might increase tonight." Jess says slyly.

We unpack the supplies from the cornucopia. Mace convinced us it would be easier to set up camp where we are instead of lugging the supplies anywhere else. Me and Jess agree to share a tent, much to Dylan's disappointment. Mace and Pomona share another, and Hale and his sister share a separate one. Dylan is put on his own on guard duty for the night. By now the sun in the arena is dropping, signifying the end of the day so we settle down with some food in a circle in the grass. Pomona builds a camp fire and we wait for the announcements from the announcer.

Since it is decided it might still be awhile, Jess offers to go for a 'walk' with Dylan. He practically jumps up from his seat on the grass and follows Jess away from out camp sight, almost drooling. I just smirk. Boy is he in for one big surprise. Everyone knows Jess's plan, and sure enough, she comes back about 20 minutes later, knife in hand, which is covered in blood.

"Did you do it?" I ask. As if to answer my question, a cannon goes off and Jess takes a seat next to me.

"Yup." She smiles. Let me explain. Jess invited Dylan into the career eminence with no intention of letting him stay. She planned to simply kill him off, and letting him into the career alliance was the easiest way of doing that. She tosses the knife away into the pile of weapons and leans back and sighs.

"Wake me when the announcements come on."

**District 3**

**Eve Cane's POV**

Just keep running. My mind keeps flashing back to the day of the reapings, when I tried to run away from my fate. I can't get it out of my head. Every time my feet hit the soft grass I hear the echoing sound of my feet hitting pavement when I ran down that alley. My head must be playing tricks on me, because even now as I run away alone, I hear footsteps matching my speed behind me, like the peace keepers are still trying to follow me.

Finally I decide to stop when I reach a small garden like area. Bushes of berries blossom on the ground and a small spring filled with clear water is situated in the middle. Brocken pieces of rubble seem to scatter the area. I take a seat on one and finally take a look at what I managed to grab from the cornucopia. For once something in my life went right, and I got away from the bloodbath unhurt and with supplies. I take the backpack off my shoulder and examine its contents.

It's a fairly small backpack, but allot has been packed into it. I find a full bottle of water, a small first aid kit and a sleeping bag rolled up inside. I smile at my good fortune. The only thing I need now is some food. I lay my bow and arrow next to my pack and lay out my sleeping bag. It's getting late, and the sun is going down. I have to actually wonder if what I'm looking at is actually the sun, or just some twisted Game Maker's version of it.

"Congratulations to all tributes who made it past the bloodbath!" I recognize the Head Game Maker Golden's voice boom across the arena. Weird, I expected the announcer to be talking, not Golden.

"You may be wondering why I'm addressing you, you see our lovely announcer has had to take an unexpected leave of absence, so I will in charge and watching over you for these games." Her voice fades away and the night sky is suddenly filled with light. I watch as dead tribute's faces embed themselves into the night sky.

The first tribute is Dylan from District 5. I thought he was in the career alliance? What could have happened to him, I didn't even see him in the bloodbath.

Zero's face fills the sky next. I feel sorry for the little guy, he is only 13. Was. He was only 13. It stings me to think that he's gone from this earth forever.

Next is Bramble from District 7. This catches me off guard. Sure he seemed like a bit of a thug, but I didn't expect to see him down in the bloodbath.

The 12 year old Chiffon from District 8 is next. Like Zero, his death hurts. 12 year olds shouldn't die.

The last face to appear in the sky is Hachet from District 11. He was the one who paired himself with the two 12 year olds. I feel sorry for him.

The night sky dims and silence fills the arena. I climb into my sleeping bag and try and push my thoughts of the day away. 5 are dead, only 19 tributes left overall. Sleep slowly consumes me, drawing me into the pleasant and numbing darkness.

Then I hear it.

A twig snaps off to my right and my eyes dart open. Would tributes already be out hunting? I grab for my weapon and stand bolt upright and stare into the darkness. The sound seems to have come from the nearby bushes. I don't want to die, not yet. But I also don't want to have to kill anyone either.

"Come out now!" I yell at the shrub. Nothing.

I fire a warning shot with my bow and arrow just over the shrub and whoever is hiding in it seems to get the message.

Bassolo, my district partner, emerges from the shadows. He looks just like the day I saw him on the reapings. Scared, frightened and alone.

"Hey." He says sheepishly. A million questions fill my head. One surfaces and I blurt it out without thinking.

"Why are you here? Why are you following me?" I clarify. He followed me throughout the entire course of training, on the train rides and even just before we went into the arena. He has never approached me though, instead avoiding my eye contact and staying in the shadows. Bassolo takes a tentative step forward, cautious of the weapon in my hand. I put it at my side to show him I won't shot him, yet.

"I um.. I wanted to.. um, ok this is not coming out how I imagined it," He babbles. He takes a deep breath before continuing, "I wanted to thank you, for helping me with those bullies, you know on the day of the reapings." He says. I stare at him and analyze him carefully. Why would he wait all this time to tell me that. Why was it so important to the small boy. All I did was help him out with a couple of bullies, no big deal.

"That doesn't answer my question." I decide out loud. He stares at me, clearly confused.

"What do you mean?" He asks.

"I mean why did that mean so much to you? I helped you out once, it's not like I saved your life or anything." He sighs and I can tell that this conversation is taking a toll on him.

"What aren't you telling me?" I question in a softer tone. I decide to trust him, just for now, and motion for him to take a seat next to me on a piece of rubble. He takes a few deep breaths before answering.

"I'm used to being forgotten about. I mean, uh, my dad was an alcoholic." Bassolo explains. "I was always cast aside, forgotten and uncared about. My mom did her best, but it all got a bit much. I felt like I was on my own. My father often abused me; he didn't give a damn about us. And my whole life, I just thought that was how humans were." Slowly I think I start to understand.

"Then, when I was about to get beat up by those bullies, you just swooped in. No one has ever acted like that around me before. No one has ever, you know, bothered to give a damn…" His sentence trails off. I finally understand why what I did means so much to him.

"I think I understand." I say my mind processing the information.

We sit there in silence, the only noise coming from nearby crickets chirping in the warm night. Finally, I think I know what I have to do.

"Allies?" I ask, holding out a hand. This takes him back. He stares at me for a long time, I think he's wondering if he heard right.

"Thanks." He says finally and shakes my hand. I guess I have an ally now.

**District 9**

**Kall Roswell's POV**

"I told you! We should have gone left, not right! Now where're lost!" I hear Seery yell at Calvin. I roll my eyes. Those two have not stopped fighting since we landed in the arena.

"If you hadn't noticed, we're lost either way!" Calvin snaps back. We all agreed that since Seery made this alliance, she would be the leader. Then Calvin joined and they agreed on co-captains, however so far that has not been exactly working out. They've been leading the way so far, so I've hung back with my other allies, Hayata and Alex, giving Calvin and Seery space to bicker.

"Ok genius, what do you want to do about it?" Calvin stops dead in his tracks and waits for Seery to answer. She scowls before answering.

"Let's just set up camp here." She decides.

"Here? In the middle of nowhere? You have got to be kidding me." Calvin says exasperated.

"Well I'm not moving." Seery sits down right where she was standing and scrunches her face up.

"Seriously, you're going to act like a 5 year old now?" Calvin yells, "Besides I'm older, I should get the final decision."

"Well I got a 7 in training, so there!" Seery spits back from her place on the ground.

"We both got sevens." Calvin points out with a smug smile. We all come to a stop around Seery. Hayata mumbles something about going to look for food, and takes off. Smart girl. I offer to help pitch tents with Alex, leaving Seery and Calvin alone. We pull out the two tents we secured in the bloodbath and move as far away from the two as possible. Even at a good distance, we can still hear them bickering.

"Honestly, do you think there's an off button on those two?" Alex whispers beside me. I chuckle.

"They'll tire themselves out eventually… I hope." We pitch the two tents with ease. I think Alex must have had some sort of experience in being in the wilderness. Once the two tents are up, we take a seat and unpack our backpacks. Alex managed to grab a bow and arrow, as well as a pack filled with water and two meals. Mine contains a small first aid kit, a knife and a bottle of water.

"Cheers." Alex raises his small bottle of water and I click mine against his. We each take small sips. I don't know when we will next be finding water. Hayata returns a few minutes later, two chicken like creatures in hand. She drops them on the ground and smiles.

"Dinner."

After plucking and cooking the chickens, we all form a small circle around a camp fire between the two tents and devour the food. It's good enough, better than what I get back home. It's definitely night time now, as the sky around us has dimmed. The announcements came on as we were running away, so those are long over. I remember seeing Bramble's face in the sky. I'm not going to say that I'll miss the guy, but it does mean our alliance is going to be weaker.

"So, where's everybody from?" Hayata asks, taking the last bite of her meal. It's a decent conversation starter, and who knows, maybe I'll get to know a bit more about my allies.

"Well I'm from District 9, my dad fought in the dark days and one day I'm going to defy the capitol." I say with a grin.

"Cool, call me when that happens, I'll join." Alex smiles.

"What about you Hayata?" I ask.

"Well I'm from 12, I work at the hob whenever I get a chance and that's about it." She says quickly. I notice she hasn't said anything about her family. I decide not to push her anymore and turn my attention to Calvin and Seery, who are sitting at opposite ends of the camp fire.

"Calvin?" Alex asks, catching his attention.

"Oh sure, ask Calvin first." Seery sulks. Calvin flashes her a smug smile before talking.

"I grew up in District 4. I've had some training for these games and I have two twin brothers." Calvin smiles at the mention of his brothers.

"And you Seery?" Hayata asks politely.

"Well I've been training for these games my entire life, plus I volunteered." Must everything between these two be competition?

Hayata lets out a yawn and leans against Alex. The two have history, I can tell. Hayata seems to look at Alex like a brother.

"I think I might turn in for the night." She says and pulls herself up off the ground.

"I might two." I decide.

"Cool, I'll take first watch, I'll wake you later." Alex says. I nod and climb into an empty tent and curl up. Thoughts of rebellion fill my head, and I can't get them out. How can I take down our government? Sleep slowly consumes me and I slip into darkness, my thoughts still whirling around my head as I sleep.

"Hey Kall!" I'm woken by a harsh whisper coming from just outside my tent. Vaguely I realize I am still alone inside. I clamber out and squint at the soft light flooding the arena. I guess it must be nearly sunrise. I find Alex standing outside, a goofy look on his face.

"You have got to see this." He whispers. He instructs me to keep quiet as we creep over to Hayata's tent and Alex practically drags her out.

"Alex I don't care, I just want to sleep." I hear her mummer from the tent. I guess she slept alone too. That means that Calvin and Seery slept outside.

"Trust me, it's good." Alex emerges from the tent, Hayata in tow, who is still looking half asleep and directs us over to the campfire, which is now only a few glowing embers.

"What's so important that you had to wake me up?" Hayata whispers. As we walk closer to the campfire I can slowly make out two figures.

"That." Alex points and I make out Calvin and Seery, asleep by what's left of the fire. Hayata giggles and it takes me a second to comprehend what I am seeing.

Calvin and Seery are both obviously still asleep. I guess they fell asleep with Alex on guard duty. But it's how close they are that I find funny. Calvin is lying on his side, in a sort of sitting up position, with one arms slung over Seery, who is curled up in a small ball, dozing. Both are a tangle mess of limbs, but it's funny how close together they are, and how Calvin is almost holding Seery close to him.

"Oh my gosh." I whisper, trying to contain my laughter.

"Do you think they know what they're doing?" Hayata asks between giggles.

"Na, neither of them would ever get with a 10 foot radius if they were you know, conscious." Alex replies. It's adorable and hilarious at the same time. I take a seat on the ground opposite them, careful not to make any sound.

"What are you doing?" Hayata whispers.

"I'm going to wait till they wake up; I can't wait to see the look on their faces."

**District 9**

**Sybil Holloway's POV **

Ha! What a score. I mean, I knew acting crazy would come to my advantage, but I didn't think by this much. Not a single tribute made an attempt to attack me in the bloodbath, no one even approached me. I smile down at the contents of my bag, happy with my steal.

After the bloodbath, I made a run for it towards the giant temple in the right corner of the arena. As far as I know, only one other tribute is around here, and that would be the girl from 9, Monalisa. She is definitely not a threat, so I know I can sleep in peace. Maybe I'll go and hunt her down later. But for now I busy myself with setting up my camp.

My mind starts to clear as I return to my normal demeanor. Finally, I can be myself again, if only for a little while. Being crazy is definitely fun, but it can also be very exhausting. I lie out across the ground and stare at the night sky. I find myself constantly fidgeting, so I dig through my pack and examine its contents. A small bottle of water, food for 2 days, a small vile of salt, which I assume must be for cooking uses, a sleeping bag, which I have now laid out across the grass and a knife. I take everything out of the bag, and that's when I spot it. A small book, it can't be bigger than the size of my hand, wedged into the bottom folds of the bag, easily missed. I pull it out and study it. The title 'Greek Mythology' is written in golden cursive along the front of the book. I study it carefully. Obviously the book was put there on purpose, the Game Makers always have reasons. It's quite a thick book with a leather bound cover and small print.

I open it up and examine the insides. Pages and pages of Greek stories, mutts and gods are within the book. I turn to a random page and read it.

_Hellhounds _

_The Greek demonic dog of Hell. These dogs are very aggressive, and are not to be approached if met. With glowing red eyes, it is said that anyone who looks into them 3 times is guaranteed death. They commonly appear to kill a human who has finished their time on earth, and is ready to move on and release their soul. They are vulnerable against salt and celestial bronze._

I smirk. I figured out long ago that our arena would most likely have something to do with Greek Mythology, and now I have the upper hand with this book. To prepare myself, I study it under the glow of a campfire for most of the night, re-citing stories and other important facts.

A few hours later I am still reading. By now the sun is starting to rise so I decide to get a few hours of sleep before hunting down some tributes.

Then I hear a sound in the distance.

It sounds like feet on the ground, but not human feet. It's like whatever it is is running towards me has.. four feet. The sound is getting louder and I realize that whatever it is there must be at least 5 of them. They are definitely not tributes. They must be mutts because as they get closer I can make out their dark shadows and body shape.

I spring to my feet. Finally, a chance to fight! This is where I will get to show the world I'm not some crazy tribute, I bet all of Panem is watching by now. I grab my knife and ready myself to attack whatever is coming closer, gaining speed every second.

They slow down as they approach me, and I get a good look at them. There are 5 of them, like I expected, and they stand in a group, snarling and growing at me, slowly inching their way closer. They look almost like canines, but their fur is a midnight black, unlike any other dog I have seen before. Their teeth seem almost too big for their mouths, pocking out at every corner. What really startles is their eyes. Each has a pair of almost pulsing red eyes, staring at me as if looking into my soul.

That's when I realize what they are.

Hellhounds.

**Hehehe, hope you like it :D So explanations are in order. I'm really sorry but I started writing the interviews, then I got like a quarter of the way through and found myself repeating myself a lot, and I felt that there was nothing to gain from them. So I kind of started writing the bloodbath, and here we are :) I hope you don't mind!**

**Eulogies **

**D7 Bramble- Aw I loved ya! It was really hard to kill you, and I'm sorry that I almost had you kill Lucy :) **

**D8 Chiffon- OMG the little thief! I really hate myself for killing you, you were such an awesome character! Don't worry, you will not be forgotten, after all Hale is haunted by killing you :D**

**D6 Zero- The little chatter box! Hehe I loved you and Aurora together, you were like compete opposites. I'm so sorry I killed you!**

**D11 Hachet- You were amazing. Protecting 2 little 12 year olds. At least 1 got away! I'm sorry about killing you!**

**D5 Dylan- Aw man the womanizer! I loved your thing for Jess, but sadly, she had other plans for you :( Sorry bout that, but maybe deep down Jess loved you back! **

**Here is a quick summary of who is alive and alliances: **

**Career Alliance:  
><strong>**D1: Hale Gray  
><strong>**D1: Jessica Rose  
><strong>**D2: Mace Stranol  
><strong>**D2: Pearl Chrysler  
><strong>D5: Dylan DiMarco  
><strong>D8: Lucy Gray<br>****D11: Pomona Carver **

**D7: Sammy Tennant  
><strong>**D10: Tucker Levington **

**D4: Calvin Wilson  
><strong>**D4: Seery Janeston  
><strong>D7: Bramble Malcome  
><strong>D9: Kall Roswell<br>****D12: Alex Jackson  
><strong>**D12: Hayata Dise**

D8: Chiffon Burrel  
><strong>D9: Monalisa Ryna<br>**D11 : Hachet Gennard

**D6 : Aurora Nevet  
><strong>D6 : Zero Godwin  
><strong>D10: Rochelle Hunter<strong>

**D3 : Eve Cane  
><strong>**D3 : Bassolo Thomas  
><strong>**  
><strong>**D5 : Sybil Holloway**


	10. Day 1: Torture

**District 11 **

**Pomona Carver's POV **

I awake with a huge smile on my face. Another day, another kill I guess. Light shines through the canvas tent that we careers secured in the bloodbath, forcing me to wake up. I roll over and find Mace beside me. Damn I forgot I was sharing a tent with him. He was on first watch so I got a whole tent to myself, but I guess he came in a little while later.

I clamber out of our shared tent and look around our camp site. Jess, who was supposed to be on first watch, is asleep. Wow, I feel so protected and safe with her on guard duty. I have to restrain myself from slapping her across the face for being so stupid. Instead I ignore her and grab an apple from our pile of food and take a seat next to the glowing embers of the once bright fire. As far as I can estimate, it must be past 8 o'clock in the morning. I look at the 3 tents, each containing 2 tributes, one only containing one. I could kill them all right now, but then I would have no allies, so maybe not. I sigh, what a bunch of lazy makers. Where I'm from in District 11, we would have to get up at 5am in the morning, 4am during harvest time. I make quick work of my apple and shuffle around the supplies for something else to eat. That's when a small silver parachute falls from the sky and lands right in front of me.

My smile widens as I tear apart the parachute and lining to find a dozen beautiful handmade throwing knives. The metal of them looks silver, with intricate designs carved into the handles. They must have cost a fortune. This means that I have sponsors. People are actually betting that I could win these games. With a huge burst of confidence, I pack away the knives into my back pack, away from the peering eyes of my fellow careers.

I let out another sigh and flop back against the soft grass lining the arena floor. Who knew that the Hunger Games could be so boring. I need some action. I pull myself up and ready my day bag, packing in some food, water and my knives. I bet the rest of my allies won't be up for a while, So I'm sure they won't mind if I do some early morning hunting. Of tributes, I mean.

I start of walking to the right of the career camp, keeping in line with the curve of the nearby lake, but not too close to it. Something about it tells me to just stay away. It's nice to be finally alone and away from everyone else, and just have some time to myself. As I walk, I pull out one of my knives and trim off a few locks of my hair, trying to get it back to its pre-capitol state. My stylist completely mucked up my hair for the interviews, changing it completely and now I can't seem to get it back to the way it was before.

I keep following the path of the lake until I reach a rather forest like area. Tree's spring up in all directions, making it easy to lose you bearings. I think I can hear yelling to my right. I follow my ears until I make it to a slightly less grown area and smile at what I find.

The anti-careers. Two of them seem to be in a rather heated fight, while the other 3 seem to be trying to avoid them as much as possible.

As much as I want to go and slice all of their heads off, I know I probably shouldn't. Calvin and Seery are both trained careers, and the pair from 12 look strong, not to mention Kall from 9 must have really done something messed up in the game makers session, getting a 0. I can tell that if I try and fight them all at once, the outcome would most likely be me, dead. So instead I make a U-turn and walk back the way I came, disappointed in not finding a kill.

Along my way, I slightly loss sight of the lake, which was my only path back to my allies. I swear, maybe a bit too loudly and fumble around the forest like area, trying to find my way back. As I do I quickly spot another tribute, not too far away. I can immediately tell who it is. Monalisa, the mute tribute from 9. She seems to be alone, and then I remember that all her allies died in the Bloodbath. Chiffon, the small 12 year old from 8, and Hachet, my district partner. I feel no sorrow in any way for losing my district partner, he chose his own demise, paring himself with two 12 year olds.

This girl would make the perfect morning kill. I sneak up quietly behind her, careful not to make a sound. Suddenly, my foot slips slightly, catching it's self on a root of a tree, and I drop my knife in surprise. The noise is enough to make the 12 year old whirl around to face me. Her eyes grow wide as I quickly grab my knife and make a lunge for her. I miss, and she sidesteps me and try's to run away. I throw my knife with an expert hand and catch her in her leg. The knife sinks deep into her skin, and she stumbles from the pain. She keeps running, but now with a noticeable limp. I try and decide whether to kill her slowly and quickly.

My mind is made up as she turns to me and a rock is hurdling towards my face. It hits it's mark, making me flinch in surprise. A small line of blood passes across my eye, and I snarl.

"Ok, so that's how you want to play huh?" I grab another knife from my pack and give it a good throw. It sores through the sky, catching the girls cloak and implanting it's self in the tree, trapping the girl by her cloak. I toss another one, and this one catches the fabric of her shirt, pinning her now to the tree. She reaches with her small hand for the knife, trying to pull it out of the tree so she can escape. I walk up to her leisurely, I now have all the time in the world.

"So, where to start." I whisper.

I quickly take away the slingshot still in her hand and toss it aside. I then pull out the knife that is still caught in her leg and use it to cut a gash in her arm. Silent screams emerge from her mouth, and tears roll down her eyes. Now this is going to be fun.

"Don't worry, I'll make it as quick as possible.. maybe." I kick away the knife that was catching her cloak and she falls to the ground, but her arm remains trapped by the other knife. I give a kick to her left leg, and her mouth opens in a noiseless yell. I've broken a bone in her somewhere along the way. Finally, as I know she probably can't take anymore, I remove the knife from the tree, freeing her arm that was holding her up, and she slumps to the ground, unconscious. No cannon rings out, but I know she is as good as dead. A small pool of blood is quickly forming around her which means her end must be near.

Satisfied, I gather up my knives and make my way back to the career camp. It took a while to get back, since I lost my way, but I get back eventually. When I arrive, I find half of them are still asleep, that half including Mace, Jess and little Lucy, although personally I don't really count her as a career. Pearl is awake, cooking a breakfast of stewed apples, and Hale is just sitting there staring off into the distance.

"Where have you been?" Pearl asks suspiciously.

"Oh, I just went out for some fresh air, that's all." I say mysteriously.

"We're outside." Hale points out. I scowl in his direction, but he doesn't catch it, his back is already turned to me, instead he is looking out over the lake.

"Ok, so I killed a tribute, big deal." I say, shrugging my shoulders.

"How come we haven't heard a cannon yet?" Pearl asks.

"Oh trust me, you will."

**District 5**

**Sybil Holloway's POV **

Hellhounds.

I'm so dead.

I make a sprint to my pack which I had laid out across the ground and shove it onto my back. Something about this situation makes me think I won't be returning to this area anytime soon. I get the pack on just in time, as when I look up, I find the hell hounds have formed a circle around me, trapping any form of escape. The only way I'll be getting out of here is by killing all 5 of them. The whole time, I make sure I never stare into their eyes, remembering what I read in the Greek book.

The one opposite me makes the first move. It swipes with its gigantic paw at my legs. I can't dodge fast enough and I find my leg gashed, blood slowly trickling out. I try and get my knife into its large body, but the thing is so fast I keep missing. The thing backs up slightly as I swipe the air around me with my knife, but it only seems to agitate it more.

The canine lunges at me again, tackling me to the ground this time. The dogs around me howl with approval. I can tell they are getting impatient, they want blood to be spilt soon or else things are going to get ugly. The hellhound pins me to the ground with its massive body with an almost smile on its midnight face. I can't move underneath the weight, so I try to roll out from underneath instead. The result is both me and hellhound tumbling around in the grass, a complete mess of limbs.

We both emerge at opposite sides of the area, fairly unhurt, but at least I'm free from the things grip. If the thing could just get close enough, I would be able to kill it with my knife. I fumble with the knife in my hand, trying to get it back into fighting position, but something just isn't working right. My middle finger just won't move, and when I try and position it on the knife with me other hand, a huge jolt of pain shoots up my arm. Damn I must have broken it in the fight. There is no way in hell I'll be able to handle a knife now.

The hellhound can seem to sense I am injured and decides to end it now. It runs up one last time and raises it to deliver the final blow. Perfect. I quickly exchange my knife from my right, which is my throwing hand, to my left. I force my knife down on the mutt, right on the head and draw it back out. Yes! I think I killed it!

The mutt looks unfazed.

Where the knife should have sunken into its head, killing it instantly, there is nothing. No blood, not even a wound. It's like my knife went straight through the hellhound without even touching it. How am I meant to kill a thing that is invincible to my weapon? I try and remember that page I read in the Greek Mythology book about hellhounds. Did it say anything about how to kill them?

_Hellhounds _

_The Greek demonic dog of Hell. These dogs are very aggressive, and are not to be approached if met. With glowing red eyes, it is said that anyone who looks into them 3 times is guaranteed death. They commonly appear to kill a human who has finished their time on earth, and is ready to move on and release their soul. They are vulnerable against salt and celestial bronze._

_They are vulnerable against salt and celestial bronze._

_They are vulnerable against salt._

I have a vile of salt in my pack! That's what it is for, not cooking! I sprint as far away as I can from the mutt, still trapped in the small circle the other 4 mutts have formed around us. I rip my back pack off my shoulder and dig around inside, despite for the small vile of salt that could save my life. My working hand closes around it and I pull it out. The vile is quite small, only containing a very tiny amount of salt. It will have to do.

I hold the vile awkwardly with my right hand, since my middle finger is busted, and unscrew the top with my left. I only have 1 chance at this. The hellhound makes another move on me, and without wasting a second, I toss half the vile of salt onto the dog's body. The thing howls in pain and staggers around the arena floor, disoriented. Suddenly, it's entire body seems to bubble, and slowly the mutt melts, leaving behind a dark pool of hellhound. My smile grows even bigger as I turn to face the last remaining 4 hellhounds. Obviously the hellhound that attacked me was their leader, as now the once confident dogs look terrified and confused.

I attack the last 4 mutts all at once, no longer afraid. Each time one gets too close, I chuck a small amount of salt onto them, and they disintegrate. Finally, I am down to one canine. I quickly glance at my supply of salt and my heart sinks. There could only be about 3 small grains left inside. I tip it out onto my hand and pinch it with my fingers. I'll have to kill this one by hand. The final hellhound sprints towards me and surprises me by tackling my legs, bringing me to the ground. It bits down on my injured leg with its huge teeth and I scream out in pain.

I reach out with my salt covered hand and touch the hellhounds body. It dissolves around me, and I realize I am the last one standing.

I pick myself up off the ground and look at the scene around me. Puddles of hellhound surround me. I actually won! I need to get out of here though. I'm sure the fight was loud enough to give my location away to other tributes. I make sure my pack is still slung over my shoulder and make a run for it towards the giant temple in front of me. Maybe there is something inside?

I just keep running, getting closer and closer to my destination. Why would the Game Maker's put a temple in an arena? My mind is contemplating all the choices as I walk, so I decide to check and see if my book says anything about it.

I dig around in my pack but I can't seem to find the book. Then I remember.

Crap, I left the book behind.

**District 10**

**Tucker Levington's POV **

"That was amazing." I say under my breath. Sammy just nods. We just saw the District 5 girl Sybil take on 5 hell hounds, and win. We woke up to the sound of growling and yelling, and ran towards the sound, unsure what else to do. That's when we found Sybil taking on the mutts. It took a long time for me to convince Sammy to hide, instead of running to the crazy girl's aid like she wanted to. I had to remind her that Sybil is another competitor in these games, and with her gone we had a greater chance of winning. Which is why we ended up hiding behind a set of boulders and watched as she took on the hell hounds.

Then we found out Sybil is definitely not crazy.

We watched the supposed crazy girl take on the 5 mutts without a second thought. She was amazing. She dodged and attacked the mutts like it was second nature. For a while it seemed like she could actually win the fight. But slowly we watched her tire and the mutts get the better hand at her. Then she did something very unexpected. She paused for a second, like she was contemplating something, then dove into her bag and pulled out a vile of salt. Now this seemed very weird at the time. She screwed open the top and chucked out a large amount of its contents onto the first mutt, and as soon as the small grains came in contact with the great big furry miss, it disintegrated into a simple puddle on the arena floor. A smile lit up on Sybil's face and she proceeded to chuck salt onto the other mutts, and very quickly she became the last one standing.

Once finished with destroying the mutts, the girl wisely ran away quickly, in case the brawl had drawn other tributes to her location. She left in a hurry, only just remembering to grab her pack she discarded in the fight.

"So I guess Sybil's not as crazy as she makes herself out to be." I breath. Sammy nods her head but seems to be thinking about something else entirely. She quickly snaps back to the present.

"Yeah. Come on, let's go see if there's anything we can use from the fight."

We emerge from our hiding spot and approach the massacre sight tentatively, scanning the scene with our eyes to see if there is anything we can potentially use.

"Over here, I've got one of her throwing knives!" I hear Sammy call to my left. I stand up from where I was examining the liquid remains from the five hell hounds and walk over to Sammy.

A puzzled expression covers her face.

"What are you thinking about?"

"How do you think she knew to use the salt?" Sammy stares at me for an answer. I have to stop and think about this. There was a mythology station at the training center, but not once did I see the District 5 girl at it at any time during training. She can't have possibly known it off the top of her head, so that just leaves something that she maybe found in the arena.

"I honestly don't know." I sigh. My eyes inspect the sight of the fight on last time. They settle on an old looking book just a few feet away from where I stand, obviously discarded in the fight.

"Maybe this is how." I pick up the small book and even though it is slightly covered in melted hell hound, I can quickly make out the gold cursive on the book.

"Greek Mythology!" Sammy reads the title out loud.

"This must be how that girl knew how to kill the mutts!" It's a breakthrough for us. Up until now, we have been having pretty foul luck. Sammy almost got killed by the District 2 career Pearl during the bloodbath, and I didn't emerge unhurt either. But now, we might actually have the upper hand in the arena!

Suddenly, I hear a rustling in the bushes opposite me. Crap the District 5 girl must have come back for her lost book! I pull out my last remaining knife, and Sammy does the same. I take the lead and take a step forward, in order to get closer the bush, and to protect Sammy's body with mine. A black ball of fur comes tumbling out, looking disoriented and slightly scared.

It's a baby hellhound.

The thing lets out a small bark, and I can tell it must be quite young. It bounds straight past me and snuggles up to Sammy's leg and barks happily.

"Oh no, you're not getting anywhere near her." I say sternly. It's a mutt for goodness sakes, not a pet. I push it away from Sammy with my foot, making sure there is a safe distance between her and the mutt. I'm not letting anyone, or anything every hurt her again. She still has the two wounds across her cheek that she received from her fight with Pearl, and I don't need a repeat of how helpless I felt at that moment.

"Tucker! Don't treat it like that!" Sammy chides behind me. She walks past me with confidence and strokes the baby hellhound, which wags its tail and barks excitedly.

"Hey little guy, are you lost?"

"Are you serious Sammy? This 'little guy' is a mutt, created by the capitol, not to mention a whole pack of these guys just attacked another tribute." I say exasperated.

"Come on, can we keep him?" Sammy pouts, but in a funny way, and a small smile crosses my face.

"No, we can't." I feel like I'm talking to one of my little sisters whenever they drag back some kind of animal from the ranch.

The hellhound barks one more time, then runs back through the bush.

"See, it's probably going off to kill some other tribute now." I say, but just as I do the canine reappears through the bush, a dead bird in its mouth. It drops it at my feet and my stomach rumbles. We haven't eaten anything since before the arena, and I'm starving.

"Now can we keep him?" Sammy says smugly. I sigh and throw my hands up to show I surrender.

"Fine."

**District 4**

**Seery Janeston's POV**

I wake up to find myself surrounded by warm arms. They feel strong, but also soft. I'm comforted by them and I let out a small sigh and snuggle in more. I've never felt this safe before, not since my mother and brother died. My mother died when I was 12, from cancer, and my brother was put into the games, and died. Light is slowly flooding into my closed eyelids, so I know it is well past morning. I don't want to get up though, I feel so peaceful.

Finally, I let my eyes flutter open, and I squint at the brightness of the sun. Slowly I make out our campfire, and I realize I am still outside. Did I fall asleep out here? I can make out someone sitting opposite the coals of the fire.

"Kall?" I ask in a whisper. He has the world's most goofiest face on, like he can't believe what he is seeing.

"Morning." He waves. He then turns towards the 3 tents we had set up and calls, "Hey guys, they're awake!" Hayata and Alex quickly emerge from a tent, looking well rested and go stand by Kall.

"So, what did you two get up to last night?" Alex asks, his face mimicking Kall's.

"What are you talking about?" I ask. I roll over from my spot on the ground, in order to get more comfortable, and I am met by the sleeping face of Calvin.

"Holy crap!" I yell. How the hell did I end up sleeping next to him! Alex, Hayata and Kall are all doubled over in laughter, and I think tears of laughter are streaming down Kall's face.

I quickly jump up from my spot on the ground and the noise is enough to wake Calvin. He awakes slowly, then his eyes go wide at everyone looking at him.

"What?"

"So, is there something you want to tell us?" Alex asks with a huge smile on his face. My face reddens, but I can't tell if it's from embarrassment, or anger. Maybe both.

"Nothing happened! We, I guess we must have both fallen asleep last night outside." I babble. I've never had it hard with words, but this conversation is making it hard for me to even form words in my mouth. Hayata opens her mouth to say something but I quickly cut her off.

"Nothing happened!"

For the rest of the morning, I steer as far away from Calvin as possible, and he does the same. How did that happen? I remember last night, we were both arguing who should take first watch. Eventually we agreed that we would both take it. I guess we were arguing so much that we didn't realize Alex had already decided he would. I remember we were sitting around the fire, arguing.. and then what? I remember curling up and falling asleep, and Calvin doing the same. I guess somewhere in the night we sort of curled up together, because when I woke up, we were very close, and I can still remember what his strong arms felt like around me. I blush just thinking about it.

Great, things just got a whole lot more awkward.

**District 12**

**Alex Jackson's POV**

"Ok, can we get moving now?" Hayata asks loudly. I smile, she's always been impatient. Although, in all honesty I can't blame her. Seery and Calvin have been completely avoiding each other, even more than before, making it hard to pack up camp and get moving.

"Is everybody ready?" Kall asks. We all nod our heads and start moving forwards. I have no idea where we actually plan on going, but I guess we shouldn't really be staying in the same place all the time.

"So, does anyone actually know where we're going?" Hayata asks as we walk.

"To the careers." Calvin says simply, not even glancing her way. Hayata stops dead in her tracks.

"Wait, your telling me we are just going to rock up to the career pack? And then what? It's like giving ourselves to them on a silver platter!" She cries. I stop next to her to show I agree. I mean, what kind of an idea is that? If anything, it's a death sentence.

"I'm with Hayata, this seems like a horrible idea." I say.

"Don't you get it? If we take them on now, on our terms, we'll have the art of surprise." Calvin argues defensively.

"Besides, would you rather just sit and wait on our buts for the careers to come and kill us?" Seery adds. We all stare at the two. Did they just agree on something? Seery looks at all of us, then at Calvin.

"You.. you know what, maybe it's not such a good idea!" Seery blurts out quickly.

"Well you agreed with me on it this morning, why the sudden change of heart!" Calvin asks smugly. And then it's back on to their regular banter. However no matter how much they fight, they both can't seem to hid the deep red blush that rises on both of their faces.

We keep moving forward, Calvin leading, and Seery at the back, keeping as far away as possible. I fall back and start up a conversation with Hayata and Kall.

"Do you guys really think this is such a good idea?" Hayata asks quietly, "We're just asking for trouble, approaching them on their turf?" She asks nervously. It's the most scared she has sounded since we arrived in the arena. She fidgets nervously with her fingers, ringing them and twisting them into her hair.

"Don't worry," says Kall confidently, "we're not called the anti-careers for nothing." He sounds so confident that Hayata relaxes a bit. I guess Kall's made up his mind on the matter. I can't shake the feeling that for one of us, this run in could be our last.

We walk on in silence, which is very odd for our rather large group until we reach a small clearing in the forest like area. I can almost see the lake from here, which means we must be getting close to the cornucopia. As we keep moving, I can slowly make out a small dark figure in the distance. I quickly identify it as a tribute, who looks laid out across the ground. I let out a warning cry to my allies, and immediately I ready my bow and arrow, Hayata does the same beside me. Kall draw a knife out and Calvin and Seery pull out daggers. They both would prefer tridents, but tridents are expensive, and I didn't see a single one in the cornucopia during the bloodbath.

Seery approaches the figure first, dagger at the ready, and we stand aside, waiting for her to give us the all clear. Maybe if I could just get a bit closer, I could shot it with an arrow from a safe distance. She walks cautiously forward, yet the figure doesn't move. It almost looks like the person is asleep. Not very smart, sleeping out in the open. Seery gets right in close perimeter of the figure and seems to bend down and scan it. She stands abruptly up, her face pale.

"Guys, help."

We all run straight for Seery, and gather around the figure. The sight is not pleasant, and I find myself having to swallow down bile that is reaching my mouth.

It's the District 9 girl, Monalisa. She looks unconscious and straight away I feel shamefaced for planning to send an arrow into her helpless body. Blood matters her midnight hair, making it stick to her forehead. Her leg sticks out in a funny angle, and I think it must be broken somewhere. A large gash runs down her small arm, and dark red liquid slowly pours out. Her face is incredibly pale against the pool of blood surrounding her.

"Get the medical kit." Hayata says quickly. I pull out the small white box from my pack and hand it to her. She fumbles with the latch before prying it open, revealing a very basic supply of medicine. Hayata curses under her breath as she pulls out the simple supplies.

To start with, she makes an attempt to bandage up the small girls arm wound, winding gauze carefully and methodically around the gash. For someone who has had little to no experience in medicine, she seems to be doing a good job. Next, she tries to straighten out her leg, and a small moan escapes the little girl's mouth. Her eyes flutter open, not fully, but enough to see the dark green pupils underneath. They dart around widely, trying to take in the situation around her. She tries and struggles out of Hayata's reach, only making the bandages on her arm turn red again.

"Hey, hey, it's ok." Hayata whispers, trying to calm her down. She visibly relaxes as Hayata soothes her, and I can tell she has deemed us not a threat. She allows Hayata to make a temporary splint for her leg, relieving some of the pain. She winces and Hayata applies antiseptic to her wounds, but remains still. Soon, she's all bandaged up, and Kall gives her some water to take the pain killers with. She quickly drifts off to sleep and I allow my heart rate to slow down. She' safe, for now.

We decide to set up camp here for now, and wait for the girl to awake. Hayata runs off to a nearby stream to wash the blood off her, but the damage has been done. She looked terrified as she ran, and tears were springing in her eyes.

"Should I go check on her?" Kall asks. I shake my head.

"Just give her some time, she needs her space after something like this." I say back. Kall seems to think about this for a minute.

"How well do you guys know each other?" He asks curiously. A smile creeps across my face.

"Me and Hayata go way back. Her mother died when she was younger, and she took refuge in me. She became like a little sister to me after that, and we've been good friends since." I sigh as the memory. It all feels like so long ago, life in District 12. Back then, everything was a lot simpler. Kall smiles. I nod my head over at the District 9 girl, still asleep, but clearly still in pain.

"What should we do with her? I mean, should we let her join our alliance?" I ask, genuinely puzzled.

"We can't just leave her here, if that's what your suggesting." Hayata says behind me. I didn't realize she had come back. She still looks shaken up over the whole incident, and there is still a bit of blood on her cloak.

"He wasn't suggesting that," Calvin says, joining in on our conversation, "But it's a valid question. She's still a competitor in these games, and like it or not she's going to have to die if one of us wants to win."

"We aren't leaving her for dead." Hayata says sternly.

"Calvin, if that was one of you younger brothers, would you want us to save her?" Hayata points to the small girl as she talks. I guess she feels like she has to protect her now, since she was pretty much the one who saved her in the first place.

"I'm not trying to be insensitive Hayata!" Calvin raises his voice a little too high, "But think about it practically, she's just going to add weight to our group, and we're big enough as it is!" Calvin practically shouts. Monalisa stirs slightly and Hayata rushes to the girls side. She rebadges the girl's wounds and gives one more stern look at Calvin.

"We are not going to leave her."

Just as she says it, a large parachute falls from the sky, landing between Monalisa and Hayata. Unsure of whether it is for her, or the injured girl, Hayata carefully opens it to reveal its contents. A cross bow, and a first aid kit, this one looking much more advanced than the one we got at the bloodbath. The little girl must be getting some sympathetic sponsors. Hayata gets to work with the newly obtained medicine and puts the crossbow aside for Monalisa when she wakes up.

I lay out across the ground and let out a sigh.

I guess the careers will have to wait.

**Head Game Maker**

**Golden's POV**

That's right my precious babies, just keep fighting. Already this year's games are a hit with the Capitol, being called the best games ever. Damn right, I worked my but of for these games, and now I get to watch and it all unfold. Sadly, one set of my mutts have already been destroyed by that stupid District 5 girl Sybil, but I can take care of that. Hera always has something up her sleeve.

Suddenly the buzzer rings in my office, and someone steps in. I gasp in surprise and shock. President Comet. I just stand there, dumfounded.

The President makes the first move to speak.

"Hello Golden, long time no see." A smile curves across his face. I just bow my head and keep standing there.

"Greetings President, um, it's good to see you." He just nods and takes a seat opposite my desk. I sit back down and wait for him to say something. Could there possibly be something wrong with what I've done this year. Now, I'm not usually scared around anyone, but the President is a completely different story. Rumor has it that he kills off Game Maker's he doesn't like, so I obviously have no desire to get on his bad side.

"Golden, this year's games are a complete success." I smile and sit up straighter. So he hasn't come here to kill me.

"However," My shoulders sag at the word," I want to take it to the next step." He slides me a slip of paper across the desk and I carefully unfold it, afraid of what I will find inside.

I glance over it and my smile widens even more.

"Plans and sketches for something you could toss into the arena. I drew it up myself." The President smiles slyly.

"Absolutely, I'll definitely fit it in." I smile. Comet rises from his seat and shakes my hand firmly.

"It was good to see you Golden, and I can't wait to see that little surprise in the arena." And with that, he exits, leaving me alone with his plans.

The games are about to get a lot more interesting.

**So we won't be finding out about what this surprise is for a while, but patience, all will be revealed! **

****Career Alliance:****

**D1: Hale Gray  
><strong>**D1: Jessica Rose  
><strong>**D2: Mace Stranol  
><strong>**D2: Pearl Chrysler  
><strong>D5: Dylan DiMarco  
><strong>D8: Lucy Gray<br>****D11: Pomona Carver **

**D7: Sammy Tennant  
><strong>**D10: Tucker Levington **

**D4: Calvin Wilson  
><strong>**D4: Seery Janeston  
><strong>D7: Bramble Malcome  
><strong>D9: Kall Roswell<br>****D12: Alex Jackson  
><strong>**D12: Hayata Dise  
><strong>**D9: Monalisa Ryna **

D8: Chiffon Burrel  
>D11 : Hachet Gennard<p>

**D6 : Aurora Nevet  
><strong>D6 : Zero Godwin  
><strong>D10: Rochelle Hunter<strong>

**D3 : Eve Cane  
><strong>**D3 : Bassolo Thomas **

**D5 : Sybil Holloway **


	11. Day 2: Flames and Lost Allies

**District 3**

**Bassolo Thomas's POV**

Fire.

We wake up coughing and sputtering as fire quickly surrounds our small camping grounds. My eyes dart around, trying to find Eve amongst the flames, but I can't find her. Fear quickly overcomes me, have the fires already taken her?

"Bassolo come on let's go!" Eve suddenly appears behind me, shaking my shoulder urgently. That alone is enough to shock me into moving, and I hurriedly try and grab our supplies before the fire can claim them.

"No time, we need to move!" Eve pulls at my arm, forcing me to get moving, dropping the remains of our supplies in the process.

Flames lick at the bottom of my feet as we run, seemingly hungry for flesh. I let Eve guide me by my arm, unsure of where we're going. The fire seems to follow us, getting hotter and hotter the closer it comes. It has to be Game Maker fire, what other kind of fire follows you where you run? Whenever we try and change directions, the fire seems to spring up where we step, stopping us from veering off a straight course. We are forced to run to our left by the fire, but I am not sure whether this is a good idea. To our left is that river I saw in the Bloodbath. It's dark black and doesn't look very nice. I can't shake the feeling that the game makers are trying to drive us towards it.

"Come on! Just a bit further!" Eve calls. I force myself to keep running, but I can feel myself slowing in speed. I was never very athletic, always getting picked last for sport activities in school back in District 3, so this is definitely pushing it for me. Eve is amazingly fast, being able to take on bullies just with pure speed alone, so I'm sure I'm slowing her down, but surprisingly, she never lets go of my hand and forces me to keep moving.

We keep running, I'm not sure for how long. Slowly, it becomes less like fire licking my heels, and more like soft smoke, telling me that maybe we might be a safe enough distance from the fire. Finally we stop, just a few feet away from the black river. I didn't realize we ran that far. I turn around to face the direction we came in and find a wake of destruction in the fires path. We were lucky to get away with our lives.

Eve flops down on the ground, looking tired and worn out. She had first watch last night, but never woke me for my watch, so she's been awake all night. I'm sure adding a run for her life didn't help her condition.

"Rest for a while," I say, "It doesn't look like any tributes are around here, I'll wake you later." Eve simply nods her head in thanks and stretches out across the grass. Since we lost all our supplies in the fire, I guess we'll have to find some other way to find food and water. I edge closer to the pulsing river near us and peer into the murky water. Maybe there is fish in there we can eat.

I edge in a bit closer to the side of the river to get a better look, then suddenly, the ground beneath collapse and I fall into the black water. Crap I can't swim!

Instantly I am sucked into the center of the river and pulled under the water, what kind of a river is this! I desperately call out to Eve, scared she might have fallen asleep. I need help! What if Eve fell asleep, no one can help me!

I flail in the water, desperately trying to stay afloat and not black out. It's definitely not a normal river, the water around me physically hurts my skin, as if a thousand needles are piercing every inch of my skin. I can't stay afloat and my head slips under the water. The pain is so great I scream out, even though I am under water.

Big mistake.

Water floods into my mouth and streams down my throat. My throat suddenly burns as if I've swallowed hot lava, and my vision begins to darken around the edges.

"Bassolo!" I can hear Eve calling from the side of the river, but I can no longer see her. I struggle with all my might to reach the surface but it just seems to be getting further and further away.

No! I can't die like this, not in some game makers trap. I kick my legs furiously, pulling my way through the sludge. I break out onto the surface, gasping, as I swallow even more foul dark liquid. Eve is frantically waving by the side of the river, motioning me to swim towards her. I force myself through the liquid and to the end the river and throw my hand up desperately. She grasps it and hauls me out. I didn't realize Eve was so strong, or maybe I'm just really light.

I crawl over to the side of the river and lie myself out across the dim grass, wishing the pain in my throat would just go away. I turn my head to find Eve sitting cross legged next to me, a startled expression on her face. I give her a small smile of thanks, but the worried look remains on her pale face.

"Bassolo, please tell me you didn't swallow any of the river water!" She shakes me urgently. I'm so tired, I don't feel like talking, so I try and push her away, but she shakes her head even more urgently.

"No! This is important! Don't you understand what this is?" I force myself to look into her eyes, which are now flashing with worry. I've never seen Eve look scared before, so this is very frightening. Eve is always so cool headed, and she always knows what to do.

My throat feels numb now as the pain dies down, so I feel like I am able to speak again. I open my mouth to say something and… nothing comes out. I try again, and still nothing. Tears are now streaming down Eve's face.

"Bassolo, this is the River Styx, or at least the game makers version of it." She says in a whisper, tears streaking her face. It clicks in my head and I should smack myself for being so stupid. Eve explains anyway.

"In Greek Mythology, the River Styx was the river that divided the living world with the world of the dead. It's said that the God Zeus a thousand years ago cursed the river, so that the water would become so foul that if anyone were to drink it.." She pauses to take a breath and stare directly at me.

"They would lose their voice for 9 years…" Her voice trails off, but the words keep repeating themselves in my brain, giving me a headache.

_Lose their voice for 9 years. Lose their voice for 9 years. Lose their voice for 9 years. _

I am now officially a mute tribute.

**District 6**

**Aurora Nevet's POV**

"Do you want to stop here?" Rochelle asks me. We've been walking all day, not really sure where to go. I've noticed a golden temple rising in the distance, but both of us have no intention of actually going in.

"Ye-ah, here's good." I say in a soft voice. Our alliance has been so quiet without Zero's constant chatter.

Zero. I miss him so much. I mean, it's not like I was close with him or anything, but he is my district partner. I sort of knew of him, everyone did. He was the talkative one, that one that you would always go to if you wanted to have a long chat about nothing. We talked to each other a few times, but other than that, we hardly know each other. I wonder why I miss him so much? I did sort of want to protect him, I guess since I wasn't able to protect my brother when he drowned.. no, you're not allowed to think about that, not here, not now.

We set up our small camp, consisting of one sleeping bag, a very small fire and not much else. I notice Rochelle looking unfocused on what she's doing, a distant look in her eyes. Now, I've never been one to comfort others, let alone talk about emotions and feelings, but I feel like I really should talk to Rochelle.

"He-y." I say softly. Oh great, here comes the stutter. I force myself to speak calmly and take a seat next to my ally on the sleeping bag. Rochelle looks up at me, sadness filling her chocolate brown eyes.

"What's wrong?" Maybe the direct approach will work better. Rochelle stays silent for a bit, and I worry that I scared her out of talking at all.

"I… I killed him Aurora." She says under her breath.

"Killed who?"

"The man from District 7.. I didn't even know his name." Tears fall down her face. Suddenly, it's not Rochelle who I'm talking to, it's my brother, after I was pulled from the stream.

"_Aurora! Aurora come on, wake up! Damn it wake up!" My eyes flutter open and I find myself lying on soft damp grass, small pelts of rain hitting my face. I find my older brother, Alika, standing over me, gently shaking me. He's crying, which is so unlike him. My head hurts so much, I just want to go back to sleep. I let my eyes close but Alika pinches my cheek lightly, forcing me to stay conscious. _

"_Aurora you've got to stay awake okay?" I slightly nod and quickly regret it. A military band starts playing in my head, making in throb and my thoughts go foggy. _

"_Jas-per?" I crock out. I can't see him from my position in the grass. Where is he. _

"_Aurora, he's gone, I'm so sorry." No no! I burst into tears. _

"_Alkia, I killed him! It was me!" I sob. My brother brings me into a sitting position and hugs me tightly. _

"_Killed? Who did you kill"_

"_Jasper! He drowned, and there was nothing I could do!" I practically scream the last few words. _

"_Aurora, look at me, you didn't kill him, it wasn't your fault, you tried to protect him"_

_It's a lie. It is my fault. I should have stopped him._

"Aurora?" I snap back to the present. Rochelle's looking at me, a confused and scared look on her face.

"S-orry." I babble. I think I know what I need to say to Rochelle now.

"Rochelle, look at me, it wasn't your fault, you were protecting that 12 year old from 8, you saved that little girls life." I explain, speaking stronger than I have ever in years. Rochelle looks at me, the tears on her face have started to stop falling.

"Really?"

"Yes, trust me, I've been there before." I say, "And the best way to get over it is just to keep telling yourself you did all you could, and that life goes on."

"Not for the District 7 boy, his life ended when I put that knife into his back." Rochelle says under her breath. A question keeps nagging at me that I've been wondering for a while now, so I finally pluck up the courage to ask.

"Ro-rochelle, why.. why did you kill him?" I ask. I don't want to upset the fragile girl from 10 anymore, but the question is eating away at me. Bramble wasn't anywhere near her during the bloodbath, and yet she purposefully approached him from the back and attacked him.

"He was going to kill Lucy, and I made a promise to Ha-" Rochelle quickly stops herself, but she's said enough. A small smile creeps across my face.

"You like Hale!" I announce in triumph. Rochelle blushes deeply but quickly covers herself.

"I do not! I just didn't want to see a 12 year old die."  
>"Admit it, you like him!" I giggle. It's the first time in years I've actually had a proper conversation with someone without stuttering, and I love it. I feel like I'm 10 again, discussing crushes with a best friend behind the school yard. Rochelle does have time to respond, as a figure bursts through the bushes and stumbles to the ground.<p>

Sybil. The crazy girl from 5. She notices us for the first time and springs to her feet and grabs for a knife from her backpack and comes up empty handed. She scowls and ready's her fighting stance, looking ready for a fight. I thought this girl was crazy! We both stand uppruptly up and get ready for a fight. I'm shaking nervously, we can't escape from this fight and I have a feeling one of us isn't getting out alive.

"We don't want to fight." Rochelle says surprisingly calmly. She's pulled out two throwing knives and tosses one to me and I hold it in front of me, trying not to let my sacredness get the best of me. I have to be brave for my ally, we both need to get out alive.

"I don't either, but the Capitol will want a good show." Sybil snarls.

I stupidly toss my knife at the girl, missing her completely. Great, now she has a weapon. She seems to spring to life suddenly and moves at a lightning speed, circling us, looking for an opening. Rochelle and I go back to back, covering each other's blind spots. No way am I going to loss to this girl. Suddenly, Sybil throws the knife she acquired, but in a weird way. It soars through the air, leather handle first and hits Rochelle right in the temple. She falls to the ground, clearly dazed and I see her eyes go glassy. The hit wasn't enough to endues unconsciousness, but was enough to immobilize Rochelle long enough for Sybil to get to me.

"Rochelle!" I cry and start to run to my injured ally, but a force abruptly slams into my stomach, forcing my back against a nearby tree. I gasp as my spine practically ripples at the hit, but by breath is suddenly cut short as strong and deadly hands grab my throat.

"I'm sorry about this, but it's just the way the games go." Sybil whispers in my ear. She grabs me by the back of my neck and drags me easily over to a small spring near us. I instantly know what she is going to do and I struggle furiously against her, not wanting to go anywhere near the water. My struggles are in vain as all she does is tighten her grip on my neck.

Quickly, I find myself kneeling next to the small pool of water, Sybil standing behind me.

"Sorry again." Sybil whispers, then she slams my face into the water. I don't even have time to suck in a breath, and quickly I find my vision growing darker. I shake my head violently, images of the day my brother died flooding into my mind. Of all the ways I would want to die, drowning is dead last. Is this what my brother felt like? Knowing he was going to die, and unable to stop it?

Maybe it's better this way, I think as I finally let the darkness overcome me. Now I can be with Jasper again, now I might be able to finally apologize for letting him die….

**District 8**

**Lucy Gray's POV**

"So what are we doing today?" I hear Pomona ask.

"Nothing, we're going to rest up today and go hunting tomorrow." Mace says in reply. I can hear Pomona start complaining but I don't pay attention. All my concentration is going towards Hale. He hasn't been doing anything all day, just sitting down cross-legged and staring out towards the lake. I'm worried about him, I asked him to play with me this morning and he said no. Hale never says no.

I decide to take matters into my own hand. I guess I'll just have to remind him how much fun it is to play! We haven't played together in so long, so no wonder he doesn't remember! My brother can be so silly sometimes. I sneak up behind my brother, careful not to make a single sound. He's got his back to me, so this should be easy! Silently, I position myself behind him, ready to surprise him.

"Boo!" I jump onto his back like I always used to do when we were little and cover his eyes with my small hands. Instead of jumping in fright, Hale surprises me and springs to his feet. He swiftly draws out the sword I didn't realize he had sitting beside him and shakes me off his back violently. Quickly he turns and practically tackles me to the ground. I feel the skin on my knees graze and I hold back tears. Hale draws out the sword and places it across my neck, ready to kill. His face looks cold and hard and I am frightened by the look. Recognition suddenly floods his face as he realizes it was just me and he hurriedly tosses the sword aside.

"Lucy? Oh gods I'm so sorry, I didn't realize it was you!" Hale's warm hands pull me up from the ground and rest me against the soft grass. I'm too scared and shocked to speak. Did Hale almost just kill me?

"Let me see Lucy." Hale draws out my legs and examines the grazes. I've never been bruised or cut before, my daddy likes to make sure I'm always safe (maybe a little to safe), so the pain comes as a huge shock to me.

"Do I need to go to the popsicle?" I ask, scared. I hate the popsicle. Daddy would always rush me there for the silliest of things. Like one time I sneezed by accident 'cause I had accidently drunk my soda to fast, and Daddy rushed me to the popsicle and I had to wait and sit still while all these people ran tests and stuff on me.

"Popsicle? Lucy I think you mean hospital." Hale says with a smile.

"Oh." That makes more sense.

Hale wipes away the small red liquid that had formed around my graze.

"Hale? Why did you attack me?" I ask softly. Tears form in Hale's pale eyes but he quickly swipes them aside.

"I'm so sorry, I thought you were one of the careers." He explains in a whisper.

"But I thought the careers were our friends? We were going to play games with them." I say confused.

"No." Hale looks at me with a very serious look. Hale's been acting differently since we got into the arena. He's been stricter, less like fun Hale.

"Lucy look at me," He reaches out a hand and tilts my chin up softly so that I'm looking into his eyes, "Do not trust anyone here ok, only me. Everyone else here, they're not like me ok, they will hurt you without a second thought." He looks into my eyes and I look back into his.

"Do you want to go for a walk?"

I let Hale lead me away from our camp and we walk towards a forest like area. Hale seems to keep looking behind his shoulder, as if he thinks someone is following us. I don't like the silence, so I try and talk to him instead.

"I found a mocking jay in the garden on the reaping day!" I say excitedly, "Guess what I called him-" I pause for dramatic effect, "Jay!"

Suddenly Hale spins around and kneels down so he's at my height. He cups my face with his hands, comforting me but also stopping me from looking anywhere but his face.

"Lucy you're going to have to listen very carefully to what I say, and do not tell anyone what I'm about to tell you ok?" I nod my head slightly to show I understand and wait for Hale to continue.

"Lucy we're not going to be staying at the career camp for much longer," Hale says sternly.

"We're going to leave our friends?" I ask sadly. I hate leaving friends behind.

"They're not our friends." Hale snaps. I flinch slightly at Hale's tone. "We're going to run away the next chance we get, maybe in a day or two ok, I want you to start gathering up anything you want to take with you, but make sure no one knows you are taking anything." I nod my head again.

"Ok.. can we play now?" I ask excitedly.

"Chiffon listen to me!" Hale almost yells. He flinches at his own words and corrects himself.

"Lu-lucy I mean." He says quietly. Why did he just call me by my district partners name?  
>"Why did you call me Chiffon?" I ask confused. I haven't seen Chiffon since when we first entered this place. I remember Hale running over to Chiffon at one point on the first day, but I didn't see him after that.<p>

"It's nothing, forget I said that." Hale says quickly. His face looks even paler than before now at the mention of Chiffon.

"That reminds me," Hale says, changing the topic quickly, "Mom gave me this to give to you." My brother pulls out a small handwritten letter from his shorts pocket and hands it to me. I sob as I slowly read it. My Mommy wrote me a letter, I haven't heard from her in ages. I miss her so much, almost as much as I missed Hale. But Hale's with me now, so I don't miss him anymore. Maybe after these 'Games' as Hale calls them are over, I can go with Hale and live with him and Mommy in District 1.

"Ready to walk back?"

**District 10**

**Rochelle Hunter's POV**

I can't think straight. Cotton fills my aching head, making my thoughts move way to slow. What happened? I remember fighting the crazy girl Sybil, her chucking Aurora's knife at me.. then, not much else. I find myself lying on the ground, and Sybil and Aurora are nowhere to be seen.

Suddenly I hear a piercing scream to my right, that's quickly cut off. Aurora! I force myself up off the ground despite the welt I feel forming on my head and spin around looking for my ally. Sybil has her, she's holding her head under the water of a small spring that was near our camp sit. No! She can't kill Aurora!

I run as fast as I can behind Sybil and throw her to the ground, cutting off her grip from Aurora. She snarls but doesn't seem able to fight back very well. I think she must be injured somewhere. We tumble in the grass, scratching at each other. She manages to cut me several times with her knife. I pull away from her and stumble a bit from my head wound. Aurora lies lifeless by the spring, not moving at all. She can't be dead, no way.

Seeing Aurora's body sparks something in me, and I am filled with an uncontainable rage. How could this girl just attack Aurora, she never did anything to her! I throw my last knife with all the strength I can muster. It hits Sybil in her stomach and she falls to the ground, her blood quickly covering the green grass underneath her.

I walk over to her, my sudden rage gone, instead filled with guilt an felled scared. I almost killed this girl! I don't want anyone else to die by my hands! I run to the fallen girls side and pull the knife out of her stomach despite her cry of pain and fumble around in my pack for some sort of first aid kit. I'm not going to let her die, no one deserves that kind of pain.

Sybil just laughs manically underneath me.

"Oh? So the girl from 10 has some guts after all. Go ahead kill me, that sorry excuse for a tribute deserved it." She nods her head over in Aurora's direction. I try and keep a calm head.

"No, she didn't, and neither do you." I whisper. Sybil looks shocked at this comment. I have to turn around to find what I need from my pack, but when I turn back Sybil's eyes have gone dim and she's gone limp. Her crazy smile still covers her face.

Her cannon rings out and I know she's gone. Another person has died because of me. Another person will no longer exist on this earth because of me. My attention turns back to my ally, who hasn't moved this whole time.

"Aurora!" I lie my ally out across the grass and check for a pulse. There is one, but it's so faint. Her eyes flutter open a tiny bit, but she doesn't seem to register her surroundings.

"Aurora! You can't die, please!" I scoop her up in my arms and cradle her.

"Please," I whisper, "don't leave me." Her eyes go dim and her breathing slows down until her chest doesn't even rise and fall again. She's gone.

I don't even hear her cannon. I lie her out and close her eyelids with my hands. She looks so peaceful. If anyone were to see her, they would think she was just sleeping.

"I'm sorry." I sob as the tears start. I've lost my last ally. I should have protected her, she shouldn't be dead.

I can't stay at this campsite anymore, not with the knowledge that I killed someone here, and that I lost my last remaining ally. I grab my pack and the knife I pulled from Sybil's stomach.

I just keep walking, I don't know where I'm going, but I can't stay in the same place anymore. Finally, I just can't walk anymore, so I sit down on the grass and begin to cry. Sybil's blood is still on my knife. I'm a monster, I've killed two people in these games already, and it's only day 2. I don't want to be around anyone else ever again, anyone who is ever around me will just end up getting hurt, Zero, Bramble, Sybil… Aurora.

**District 9 **

**Monalisa Ryna's POV**

My eyes flutter open as small pelts of rain hit my face. I tilt my head slightly but can't stop the moan that tumbles out my mouth at the movement. I squeeze my eyes shut and try and force the pain away. Slowly I open my eyes again and stare around, disoriented and confused.

"Guys she's awake."

I find someone rushing to my side, relaxing me and whispering words of comfort. I don't recognize the voice though and my protective barriers fly up.

"Hey Monalisa, how are you feeling?" A small figure hovers just over me, concern etched into her face. I continue to stare at her. Did this girl save my life, or is she just going to kill me?

I find my answer as she redresses my wounds and gives me a sip of water. What happened to me? My mind flashes back to my fight with Pomona, that evil witch. She.. she torched me, then left me to die from blood loss. My mind hurts from just remembering the memory. The girl busses herself with my wounds for the next 15 minutes, cleaning them and applying antiseptic, which makes me wince, then turns to me.

"I found this next to you when we found you. I'm guessing it's yours." She pulls out my note pad and pen from her pack and places them next to me on the grass. Since you're not technically allowed to bring items into the arena, I had to pass it as my District token. The fact that this girl held onto it for me means a lot.

Carefully, I reach out my hand and scrawl something on the paper.

_Hachet?_

My ally. I watched as Chiffon was killed by Hale from District 1, but I have no idea what became of my ally after he told me to leave him behind. The guilt still hangs on me now. How could I have just left him behind? I missed the announcements that night, so I have no idea where he is, or if he is even still alive. I pray to every god I can think of that somehow he managed to get away, but just couldn't find me.

The girl shakes her head softly, tears forming in her eyes. Mine mimic her, overcome by dread and guilt. Hachet is gone. The man who volenteerly allied with me, despite me being 12 years old and a mute. The man who protected me in the bloodbath and allowed me to get away safely. No. He can't be gone!

I don't bother to stop the tears streaming down my face. I've put on a brave face this whole time, but now I completely give into my emotions. My body shakes as I cry, making my rips burn with new found pain. Quickly I have to stop myself, as the pain is too great. I stare into the girls eyes and write down something else.

_What happens now?_

The girl seems to think about the question, trying to form the answer in her mouth.

"Don't worry, your safe with us, we'll look out for you." Her lips curl into a small smile, but her eyes remain unchanging. Sadness is reflected in them and I feel like there is something else she isn't telling me.

"I'm Hayata by the way." She smiles. I try and sit up but I wince in pain. I guess I'm still not fully healed from that fight. Hayata helps me sit up and lean against a piece of rubble. I smile at her in thanks. Then I spot a small brown cross bow sitting by Hayata. She passes it to me and I look at her puzzled.

"Sponsor gift, people are betting on you." She smiles. I can hear a small sign of sadness in her voice. I guess she hasn't gotten any sponsor gifts yet. Why would people be betting that I would win, and not that she would? She seems so much stronger than me, much more able as well.

"Hey, your awake!" I hear a voice to my left and a big burly man approaches us.

"Hi I'm Alex." He smiles kindly but I still don't allow him to come near me. It's not till he wraps an arm around Hayata that I decide he is trustworthy. If Hayata trusts him, then so do I.

"I was just telling Monalisa how she is joining our alliance." Alex seems to give her a weary look, but just nods.

"Over there, by the tents, that's Kall, and those two fighting are Calvin and Seery," Alex points to each one in turn, "Those two like each other, but they won't admit it." He says it so matter of fatally that I can't help laugh.

"So what did Calvin say?" Hayata asks.

"It's a go, where moving in tonight." Hayata looks at me before asking her next question.

"What about Monalisa, she can barely move, there's no way she will be able to take on the careers." I realize what they are talking about. They're going to storm the career camp. I grab my note book and write something down.

_I want to come. Pomona is in the careers._

This seems to solve any disputes. For the last remaining part of daylight, Hayata helps me start to get the hang of walking with the tree branch crutch, and gives me half of her arrows to use in my crossbow. She gives me a backpack and some food, as well as some first aid supplies. She's treating me like a proper ally, not just some patient or charity service.

"Ok Monalisa, I want you to listen very carefully." Seery, I think her name is comes up behind me and stands to my side. I awkwardly turn to face her, crutch in hand and try to meet her eyes.

"The plan is to get in under the cover of dark, take out the person on guard from a distance, then take out as many careers as possible without getting one of our own killed. From what I've studied, careers usually set up their camp about 300 feet away from the cornucopia, usually to the east, as water in the arena usually flows west. From this we can presume the guard will be facing with their back to the cornucopia, so that will become our base. If you get hurt at any time in the fight, retreat back to base where Hayata will be stationed with the first aid kit. Any questions?" It's a whole lot to take in and my mind just can't retain it all. I guess I'll just have to do my best. I nod my head to make it seem like I totally understood every word she said.

"Good, I think we are ready then."

It takes a long time until we can finally see the cornucopia in the distance. Even at night, light seems to reflect off the shiny metal body and provide a sort of beacon to those nearby.

As we get closer and take our places behind the cornucopia, I realize Seery was dead on in her perdictions. The came is directly infrount of us, east to the cornucopia, and I can make out one guard, it looks like Hale, the man from District 1, with his back turned to us. It must be about midnight now, perfect for us to strike.

"Everyone ready? In 3…2 …1…"

**D1: Hale Gray – walking back to career camp, traumatized by Chiffons death  
><strong>**D1: Jessica Rose- at career camp, small cuts from bloodbath  
><strong>**D2: Mace Stranol- at career camp, uninjured  
><strong>**D2: Pearl Chrysler- at career camp, cuts form bloodbath  
><strong>D5: Dylan DiMarco- killed at bloodbath by Jess  
><strong>D8: Lucy Gray- waking back to career camp, grazes on knees<br>****D11: Pomona Carver- at career camp, uninjured **

**D7: Sammy Tennant- with baby hellhound near lake Greek book in possession, uninjured  
><strong>**D10: Tucker Levington- with baby hellhound near lake, knife wounds on cheek **

**D4: Calvin Wilson- hiding out near careers, uninjured  
><strong>**D4: Seery Janeston- hiding out near careers, uninjured  
><strong>D7: Bramble Malcome – killed at bloodbath by Rochelle  
><strong>D9: Kall Roswell- hiding out near careers, small fight wounds from bloodbath<br>****D12: Alex Jackson- hiding out near careers, uninjured  
><strong>**D12: Hayata Dise- hiding out near careers, distressed from Mona's near death  
><strong>**D9: Monalisa Ryna- hiding out near careers, brocken leg, gash on arm**

D8: Chiffon Burrel- killed at bloodbath by Hale  
>D11 : Hachet Gennard- killed at bloodbath by Pearl<p>

D6 : Aurora Nevet- killed on Day 2 by Sybil  
>D6 : Zero Godwin- killed at bloodbath by Jess<br>**D10: Rochelle Hunter- crying alone near golden temple, head wound and cuts. **

**D3 : Eve Cane- caring for Bassolo near River Styx, small burns  
><strong>**D3 : Bassolo Thomas- near River Styx, voice lost**

D5 : Sybil Holloway- killed on Day 2 by Rochelle


	12. Day 3: Mercy

**District 12**

**Alex Jackson's POV**

"Everybody ready. In 3.." I suck in a harsh cold breath of early morning air as Calvin commences the countdown. This is it.

"2.." Hayata is positioned next to me, first aid kit in hand, ready to attend to us if we are injured. I can only pray that Seery's predictions are right and that the cornucopia is far enough from the fight that she won't be injured. I notch an arrow silently and position it's angle towards Hale's head, who is currently on guard duty. He doesn't seem to have spot us yet. One clean shot, and it's all over for him.

"1! Alex now!" I let go of the fine string on my bow and the arrow flies in a direct path right in the direction of Hale's head. But then it suddenly all goes wrong.

For me, it happens in slow motion, and I can only stand and watch in horror at the events that unfold right before my very eyes. Hale, who must have somehow heard or sensed the arrow that was about to cause his death, turned around at the last moment to see it flying towards him. Since we are positioned a good distance away from the actual career camp, making the arrows flight time substantially longer, it gave Hale just enough time to duck out of the way and get out of the arrows death line. My heart sinks as I watch the arrow continue to fly, slowly losing momentum and finally falling to the ground, a long way off my original target.

"Ambush!" Hale yells into the night sky. All the careers come flooding out of their tents, dreary eyed but weapons ready and ready for a fight. Crap we are sunk.

"Go!" Seery screams the order and Kall and I rush forward to meet the head of the battle as planned. Calvin and Seery charge behind us, with Monalisa bringing up the rear of our attack force. The careers scramble to form some sort of defense line, but a few are quick to their feet, springing towards us and meeting us halfway on the new battle field. Pomona and Mace are among the quick few, Pomona armed with some wicked throwing knives that must have been a sponsor gift, and Mace armed with ironically, a mace.

"You two take Mace, Calvin Monalisa and I will take the District 11 girl." Seery calls above the yelling. Kall and I nod and run in the direction of Mace.

Mace is definitely a skilled fighter. The way he swings his mace around forces Kall and I to take several steps back to avoid a collision with his metal weapon.

"So," Mace asks casually, "Which one of you wants to die first?" I notch another arrow in my bow and fire a shot into the ground. Mace stumbles back several feet and in this time Kall lunges at him, knife in hand.

"Neither." Kall slashes the knife across Mace, cutting him deeply in the thigh, but this doesn't seem to stop Mace. He pivots around us so that now he stands in-between our two bodies, spacing us out and stopping us from fighting as a pair.

I take this quick moment to glance around at the battle around the career camp. Monalisa and Seery are taking on Pomona. I have to hand it to the mute tribute, she's fighting well. Calvin is trying to draw Hale out into the battle, however I can tell that he is determined to stay back and protect his younger sister. That just leaves Jess and Pearl, who I can't spot anywhere. I quickly glance over my shoulder to see if Hayata is all right and I am relieved to see that she is still hiding behind the cornucopia, uninjured.

"Enough warming up, let's get serious shall we?" Mace snarls. He strolls dangerously close to Kall, swinging around his mace before suddenly charging into a sprint. The sudden change in speed takes Kall off guard and Mace's body collides with his, sending him to the ground. I start to sprint over to pull Mace off my ally, but suddenly I find myself on the ground as well, Jess who just second before I couldn't locate standing over me.

"Surprise!" She practically giggles. That does it, all careers are officially crazy. It's like every single one of them is blood thirsty.

"Get off me!" I yell. I flip her off me easily and glance around for Kall, he's taking on the head of the careers all by himself. I spot him, more or less worse for wear, still fighting Mace. Mace still seems fine, considering his wound to his thigh.

"Alex I could use some help!" Kall yells. Calvin and Seery are still taking on Pomona, along with Monalisa.

"Hang on!" I start into a sprint and run to make my way to Kall.

My adrenaline is pumping so hard, that I don't feel the initial contact of Jess's blade in my neck. I make it a few more steps before I tumble to the ground, hard. Pain shoots through the small of my back, right from the top of my head, to the tips of my feet. I can't move, it's like the wound paralyzed me.

"You like it?" Jess strolls up behind me and takes a seat in front of me, casually crossing her legs and leaning forward with interest. She suddenly looks so young and innocent, that is, if you ignore the wickedly devious smile forming on her face, spreading just as fast as the pain passing through my body.

"I specifically targeted the nerve in your lower neck. Don't worry, you'll only be paralyzed for a few hours," She lets out a giggle, "But the fact is I'm not going to let you live that long!"

It's horrible, just lying there, unable to do anything as the career girl slowly prepares herself for my death. Mace won't let Kall get anywhere near me, effectively keeping him away with his weapon, and Calvin, Seery and Monalisa are still caught up with their fight with Pomona. Hayata doesn't even know what's going on, Seery gave her strict instructions to stay hidden. No one is here to help me, this is it.

"Sorry there's no one to help you now." Jess smiles. She brings her knife down on my throat and I scream in pain.

"Alex!" Kall screams my name and struggles to get past Mace, but it's too late. My vision turns into simple spirals of colors before one by one, the colors dim, leaving me in darkness.

I've left so much behind. My girlfriend, my family, and Hayata.. god I hope she's ok. She has to win, for me.

**District 1**

**Jessica Rose's POV**

I let out another giggle as I hear the District 12 boy's cannon ring out. I get such a rush when I kill someone, and I've been craving that rush ever since the blood bath. I'll never forget the feeling of taking that District 6 boy Zero's life during the bloodbath. I've never had a chance to kill before that. I mean, when I was training back home I would practice on dummies and stuff, but none of that can actually compare to killing in real life. The rush of adrenaline I felt was amazing. Then again, when I killed Dylan, the rush was even greater. Yes, I know I played him, but it just made the kill all that more amazing. I'm filled with adrenaline from Alex's kill now. I need another to satisfy my craving.

"Alex!" Two tributes chorus. I tilt my head from my place next to Alex's dead body to see Calvin and Seery, both seem to be still engaged in a fight with Pomona, but they have momentarily faulted at the sight of their now dead ally. Perfect. These two will make good kills to add to my list. So far, I think I must have killed the most tributes in the arena, let's see if I can keep that up.

I leap up from the ground and ready myself for the inevitable fight coming.

"Alex no!" Seery screams as his cannon rings out across the arena. The once polite and calm face of the District 4 girl contorts into a look of hate and anger.

"You killed him!" She races towards me and I am slightly taken back by her speed. She was never that fast in training.

She throws her dagger straight at me and I can feel the wind behind it as it wizzes right past my hair. Ha! I forgot this dumb girl is only trained in using a trident. That's a bad move, since tridents are majorly expensive to get in the arena, and they usually never have them in the Bloodbath pile.

"Nice try girly, but it's going to take a lot more than a tooth pick of a knife to knock me down." I giggle. Her District partner Calvin has finally caught up to her, standing next to her with his dagger raised. Suddenly, both their heads snap up to the sky to spot a rather large parachute falling, landing directly in-between the pair.

"Oh? Someone sent you something?" I laugh, "Go ahead, open it, I'm sure your sponsors would want you to." I'm sure these two clowns will need all the help they can get. What kind of a lady would I be if I handicapped them like that? I may be a killer, but at least I still have some decency.

I casually turn my back and wander a few feet and pluck the dagger Seery threw at me from the ground. When I turn my head back to face my opponents I have to destroy the gasp that escapes my mouth. The packaging from the parachute has been discarded, and in its place is a beautiful trident. I'll admit, I'm jealous. The mentors must have pulled all the money the sponsors had given them on both tributes just to get this one gift.

"Who's it for?" Calvin asks, picking up the weapon and holding it up to the light. It's amazing. Silver coats the outer layer of it, with delicate designs etched into the sides.

"I don't know." Seery breaths.

"If you two are done with your little admiration fest," my ally Pearl comes and stands at my side, drawing out a knife, "let's get started." Mace and Pomona stand next to me as well. I still can't find Hale anywhere, or Lucy for that matter.

"Ok." Kall and Monalisa have taken to Calvin and Seery's sides and I realize what is happening. This is the final fight, anti-careers against careers. Four against four.

"Go!" Mace yells and all careers run straight for all anti careers. I run in Calvin and Seery's direction. My adrenaline is running out from my last kill, slowing me slightly and making my reflexes slow.

Calvin tosses the trident to Seery who positions it confidently in her hands.

"Ready?" She tosses a look at her ally. They run straight at me and I falter. Calvin throws his last dagger at my left leg and I stumble back in pain. The dagger sinks into my skin, and I scream in agony. But suddenly the pain in my leg isn't the thing I am worried about.

It's the trident in my stomach.

"Gotcha." Seery draws out the trident and I find 3 defined wound holes in my front. Blood seeps out of my clothing and I fall to the ground as the arena spins around me. My face meets the soft grass and I let my eyes close.

My brother was right. This was not worth it, I'm going to die and have nothing to show for it.

"I'm sorry." I hear Seery say sincerely before Calvin brings down his dagger on my head, finally ending my pain. So much for winning these games.

**District 4**

**Calvin Wilson's POV**

"Everyone let's move out!" There's been enough death today, and I don't want anyone else to die from our alliance. Seery and I stand up from Jess's body and make a run for it back to the cornucopia where Hayata is stationed.

"Thanks." Seery smiles as she tosses the trident back to me. I honestly have no idea which of us the sponsor gift was meant for. Both of us use a trident as a preferred weapon, and the parachute landed practically in-between us. I guess it's for both us. We can share.. right?

"Calvin let's go!" Seery pulls on my hand and we run past the battles currently going on around the career camp.

"Kall! Monalisa!" I call to our two remaining allies. They are both taking on Pearl. Monalisa cautiously ducks as Pearl swipes at the air above her, just as Kall throws another knife at her. They could probably take her, but I don't want to risk anyone else. Not after losing Alex.

Alex. I don't know how I'm going to tell Hayata. Alex was like an older brother to her, and with him gone.. I don't want to think about it.

They both dodge Pearl's attack one more time before turning and coming to our side. We keep running, not looking back, not even sure if anyone is chasing us.

"Just keep running!" I call. I cast as glance at our allies. Monalisa is falling behind with her injured leg and will definitely get caught if she can't speed up. I'm not leaving anyone else behind, not again. Without thinking, I sprint to her side and scope her up in my arms bridal style and I continue running.

"Just a little bit further!" We make one last sprinting effort and dive behind the cover of the cornucopia. I look back in the direction we came in and find that no one has followed us.

"We made it." I sigh. I don't bother to mask my relief. For a minute there I thought that we wouldn't make it away safely.

"You guys are all ok!" Hayata emerges from the body of the cornucopia and hugs each one of us in turn.

"I got worried when I heard the two cannons that you were in trouble but you all made it!" She smiles and I can see the relief in her eyes. How do I tell her about Alex? She glances at each one of us and looks behind us, as if she were looking for someone.

"Where's Alex?" She still has a smile on her face but I can see it fading the longer no one answers her question.

"Where's Alex!" She starts to look panicked, "Where is he!" Tears are streaming down her face and her facial expression looks pained. "Someone answer me!"

"Hayata, I'm so sorry." Seery approaches her and puts her hand on her shoulder. Hayata quickly shakes off her hand and turns to Seery.

"You! This was all your idea! If it weren't for you Alex would still be alive!" Hayata yells at Seery, tears still streaming down her face.

"Hayata I'm s-" I start, but Hayata turns to me, anger replacing her sadness. She grabs the front of my shirt with her fists and yanks me around. She's surprisingly strong for someone who is younger than me.

"And you! This was your idea as well! This is all your fault!" Hayata begins to scream at me. I don't know what to say, because it's true. This whole raid was my idea, which means Alex's death is my fault. I open my mouth to say something, but snap it shut. Nothing I could possibly say could help Hayata right now.

"How did he die?" Hayata whispers, releasing my shirt and collapsing on the ground, salty tears still streaking her face.

"It was that District 1 girl, Jess." Kall says sadly. I can tell that he wishes he was there, that in some way he could have helped him. We all wish that.

"I'm going to kill her!" Hayata spits and jumps up from the ground and starts running back towards the career camp.

"Hayata no!" I start in a sprint after her. The small girl is going to get herself killed!

I grab ahold of her cloak and pull her in, grasping at her shoulders and linking my arms around her, stopping her from running to her death.

"No! No!" She screams and tries to pull herself away from me but I hold on tight. She may be strong but I'm not going to let her get herself killed to avenge Alex's death.

"Let me go!" She begs and pulls harder, only making me tighten my grip on her.

"Hayata listen to me!" I try and reason, "Jess is dead, Seery and I took care of her. There's nothing left back there." I whisper. Hayata just shakes her head and continues to try and wriggle out of my grip.

"He's gone Calvin," She sobs. I can feel her cold tears hitting my arms as they fall, "He's gone and I have no one left." She finally stops trying to struggle out of my grip, instead just crying into my arms.

"You have us."

**District 3**

**Eve Cane's POV**

"Try this." I pass over another brew to Bassolo and he takes a sip of it. "Try talking." He opens his mouth to speak, and starts mouthing words, but nothing comes out. I let out another sigh. We've been at it for hours now, thinking up every single brew or concoction we know of that helps a sore throat, or cures a lost voice. The problem is all the brews are for when you're sick, or have a virus, not when you've been sucked into some game maker's trap and your voice has been literally taken away.

"I don't think any of these are going to work." I say sadly, "If anything we need capitol medicine, and I don't think we can find that here in the arena." Bassolo nods his head sadly and swipes away the tears forming on the edge of his eyes. I can't imagine what he's going through. Having your voice one minute, then having it taken away the next.

My district partner shifts forward from his spot on the grass and moves over to the pieces of burnt branches left behind from the Game maker's fire. After the incident with the River Styx, we decided that it would be best to move as far away from it as possible, so we retraced our steps back from the river through the fire touched area back to the small garden where we first met the night after the bloodbath. It doesn't look anything like it used to though. The spring is completely gone, all the bushes filled with berries and fruit were reduced to charcoal and the great big pieces of marble rubble are now black, licked by the flames the game maker's made.

Bassolo picks up a burnt branch and writes out a message in the sand beneath him. It's been the only way we have been able to communicate, and it will probably be the only one. I know that the other mute tribute, Monalisa, has a note book, but where do you find that in a place like this?

_What are we going to do now?  
><em>

I cast a quick glance at the Game Maker's sun to approximate what time it is. I would say nightfall would be in about 4 hours, so we still have time to do things. We've been lucky so far, we haven't had a single run in with any other tributes, but I'm not sure how much longer that will last. The game makers seem to have a way with making you go in a certain direction.

"I think we should keep moving, the farther away from that river we get the better. Maybe we should find Monalisa?" I offer. I have no idea why on earth finding another tribute would be helpful, but who knows? I know that both her allies died in the Bloodbath, so she might want to ally with us if we find her.

_What about the temple?_ Bassolo etches into the sand before the wind blows over it. You see, we had made plans to go into the Golden Temple at the far end of the arena, but after the fire swept us in the complete opposite direction, well.. it would be a long way to go. But still, there must be something important in there for the game makers to build it in the first place.

"I say we still go," I say firmly, "There must be something important in there." Bassolo nods his head and pulls himself off the ground.

"It's a long way, so we should get moving."

We don't have anything to pack up, since we lost everything in the fire, and start moving forward. The walk is silent, since if I were to ask Bassolo anything it would be the equivalent of talking to myself. We soon reach a forest like area near the temple, with great trees towering up and blocking the sun from our vision. I immediately don't like it here. Who knows what kind of things could be lurking around here.

"Let's just keep walking, I want to get through here as fast as possible." I whisper to Bassolo. He nods again and we continue to walk in the general direction of the temple.

Nothing dangerous could be hidden in that Game maker's temple.. right?

**District 7**

**Sammy Tennant's POV**

"So then you put that loop through here, then twist it and.. done!" I allow myself to smile at my work.

"That's great! You're really getting the hang of this." Tucker pats me on the back and I let another smile slip. It took about a quarter of the day, but Tucker finally managed to teach me how to weave a net. By now, we have about 4 so it's time to set the traps.

"Ok, so we have 4 nets," I start gathering up the 4 we made. You can easily tell which ones I made. The weaving in them is not as intricate as Tucker's, and the construction isn't as good, but they should do the job. "This means we are able to set up 4 traps. Where should we set them?" I turn to Tucker for an answer.

"How about there." He points over to a fairly large willow tree growing quite close to where we decided to set up for the night.

"Ok."

We spend the remaining part of daylight setting up traps. Our new pet hellhound just follows us around, barking and lounging in the sun. I'm glad we kept him in a way, he's proven to be quite helpful. He gets food, and alerts us if there are any tributes nearby. I smile and bend down to scratch his tummy before returning to set up the traps. I'm sure the Game Makers are kicking themselves right now. Their mutt, the one that was supposed to kill other tributes to provide entertainment to the capitol, it being used to aid two tributes.

Tucker and I seem to have equal experience in setting up traps, so we get it done quite quickly. I'm winding my last piece of rope around a branch of the willow tree to provide more support to the trap when Tucker asks a question that makes me freeze.

"Why did you volunteer Sammy?" I turn to Tucker. He hasn't glanced up from his spot where he's securing the last trap. He seems lost in thought, his brow creased in a frown.

"Huh?" It's an odd question to ask out of the blue, and I find myself taken back by it.

"Sorry, you don't have to answer that, I was just asking." Tucker smiles sadly. I nod.

"It's ok, I just haven't really thought about it since I arrived in the capitol. I volunteered for my best friend's little sister." I say, trying to sound confident. I'm sure they are showing this entire conversation to the whole of Panem. The least I can do is sound sure of myself.

"I lost my parents when I was little," I continue, trying not to look Tucker in the eye, "So my best friend took me in. Then she got entered into the hunger games and died." I say softer, "And I was alone. When her little sister was reaped, I knew I had to do something, I didn't want to lose anyone else, so I volunteered." I whisper the last part.

Tucker moves closer to be and puts a comforting arm around my shoulder. We walk back to our camp, and take a seat.

"I lost my father," Tucker says to me, "No one knows what happened to him, we just found him one day, dead." This small bit of information explains so much about Tucker. How he doesn't like to get close to people, why he's so cold around everyone. "The peacekeepers didn't even bother to investigate, so I had to do some investigating myself." Tucker explains.

"Did you find out anything?" I ask, genuinely curious. How can so much evil be seen through just two pairs of eyes. He bits his lip before answering.

"He was holding something when he died, tightly." He explains slowly.

"Maybe he was using it to defend himself?"

"Na, his grip was really tight. His hand was practically frozen in place, you could actually take whatever he was holding," He holds his warm tanned hand out to demonstrate and grips my pale cold one, "and slide it right into his hand." He demonstrates by placing my hand into his.  
>"An exact match."<p>

He's holding my hand, tightly and I find comfort in it. We sit there, I don't know for how long.

Suddenly our hellhound jumps up from his spot where he was sleeping and begins to bark like crazy.

"What's wrong?" I ask him. Yes it's he's a boy. He keeps barking, running back and forward between us and the path that leads to our traps.

Snap!

"What was that?" Tucker asks, springing to his feet.

"That was one of the traps!" I exclaim. We run in a bee line to our traps, our dog on our heels, each one of us with a weapon in hand, prepared for whatever we will find.

I guess you could say we weren't prepared for _whatever _we would find.

Originally, Tucker and I had set up these 4 traps to catch food, or any kind of mutt that might be sent on us. I had jokingly suggested that we might catch some tributes in the nets, and Tucker laughed saying that it would be impossible, the nets were far too small and would most likely crush any tribute that got caught in them.

So you can imagine my surprise when we find not one, but two tributes caught in one of the traps.

Eve and Bassolo, the pair from 3, are trapped in the net, squished together like sardines. Eve is facing outwards, her entire body being pushed against the harsh fibers of the rope, while Bassolo is next to her, trying to make himself as small as possible inside the small net. The boy seems to have a dark tint to his skin, as if he just recently bathed in pure oil. Even his once bright eyes seem darker. I can't help but wonder what happened to him. Both have frightened looks on their faces, and I can't help but feel sorry for them. They must expect their end to be near.

"Just end it now." Eve whispers. My heart breaks. This girl, who must be the same age as me, thinks, no, expects me to kill her. Tucker's face goes cold again and he reaches for his knife.

My feelings of desperation surface and in fear I run between Tucker and the pair trapped in the net.

"Wait!"! I plead with my ally, "Don't." I try and speak as calmly as possible, however inside I'm shaking.

"Sammy, what are you doing?" It's a mixture of a question and an exclamation. I raise my hand and lower Tucker's knife wielding hand with my own.

"Please." I beg in a whisper. Tucker eyes dart between the net and me, over and over again before he finally sighs.

"Ok." He hands his knife over to me and I run over to the two tributes trapped in the woven rope.

"What are you doing?" Eve asks, her face untrusting but her eyes gleaming with relief. I don't reply as I cut the tributes free from the tree. They fall to the ground with a loud 'thump!', but I can tell that they are just glad they got out of our trap alive. They pick themselves up off the arena floor Bassolo rubs his rope burns tenderly.

"Sorry." I say awkwardly. I guess I don't really need to apologize, and the capitol is probably screaming at their televisions for one of us to kill the other, but I ignore it.

"Why?" Eve asks suspiciously, standing to face me.

"I don't know." I answer honestly. I have no idea why I felt the need to save these two tributes lives.

"Go" I say quickly. Eve nods and grabs Bassolo's hand, who right now just looks dumb founded.

"Thanks." Eve whispers as her and Bassolo take to the wind. They run in the opposite direction we were moving in, so hopefully we won't have another run in.

I stand and watch them grow smaller and smaller in the distance. What did I just do? Tucker comes and stands by me.

"Why did you do that?"

"I don't know."

**District 10**

**Rochelle Hunter's POV**

It's getting dark around me, and I know I should stop walking and set up camp. I haven't been taking good care of myself ever since Aurora died. My head has been pounding and I know I should probably treat it, but for some reason I simply leave it. It's like a permanent mark, reminding me how I failed to protect my ally.

Finally I stop, not because of the pain, but because it is getting too dark around me to see anything anymore. I lay out my small pack on the ground and pull out some berries I found on the walk here. In all honestly, I have no idea where I am at all anymore. I know I should be trying harder to keep myself from getting killed, but what's the point? I deserve to die after I let Aurora and Zero get killed, their deaths are all my fault.

I look up to the sky and see small flakes of white start to fall. Snow. I guess the Game makers are trying to keep things interesting. It makes me think of my brother, Tom-Tom, how we played in the snow the morning before the reapings. I miss him so much, more than I have been letting myself allow. That's why I need to be strong I realize. Not for me, I'm a lost cause, but for Tom-tom, so I can get back safety and he can have a normal life. And, even if I don't know it, I find myself trying to stay alive for Lucy and Hale. At least I've managed to protect someone's life once in this arena, even if it were at the cost of someone else's life. Maybe I am doing something right.

I shiver as small pelts of snow begin to hit my exposed arms, but sigh as the frozen water lands on my head, numbing the pain from the knife wound I received from Sybil, who I also killed. I pull out a sleeping bag and snuggle into it and try and pretend I am home again, where I am safe, where right now, I most want to be.

**D1: Hale Gray – hiding at career camp, traumatized by Chiffons death  
><strong>D1: Jessica Rose- killed on Day 3 by Calvin and Seery  
><strong>D2: Mace Stranol- at career camp, knife wound in thigh<br>****D2: Pearl Chrysler- at career camp, cuts and bruises on body  
><strong>D5: Dylan DiMarco- killed in bloodbath by Jess  
><strong>D8: Lucy Gray-hiding at career camp, grazes on knees<br>****D11: Pomona Carver- at career camp, cuts and bruises on body **

**D7: Sammy Tennant- with baby hellhound near lake Greek book in possession, cuts on cheek  
><strong>**D10: Tucker Levington- with baby hellhound near lake, bruises all over body**

**D4: Calvin Wilson- moving away from career camp, knife wounds on arms  
><strong>**D4: Seery Janeston- moving away from career camp, knife wounds across body, injured arm  
><strong>D7: Bramble Malcome – killed in bloodbath by Rochelle  
><strong>D9: Kall Roswell- moving away from career camp, fight wounds<br>**D12: Alex Jackson- killed on Day 3 by Jess  
><strong>D12: Hayata Dise- moving away from career camp, distressed from Mona's near death and Alex's death<br>****D9: Monalisa Ryna- moving away from career camp, broken leg, gash on arm**

D8: Chiffon Burrel- killed in bloodbath by Hale  
>D11 : Hachet Gennard- killed in bloodbath by Pearl<p>

D6 : Aurora Nevet- killed on Day 2 by Sybil  
>D6 : Zero Godwin- killed in bloodbath by Jess<br>**D10: Rochelle Hunter- crying alone near golden temple, head wound and cuts. **

**D3 : Eve Cane- walking towards golden temple, small burns and rope wounds  
><strong>**D3 : Bassolo Thomas- walking towards golden temple, voice lost and rope wounds**

D5 : Sybil Holloway- killed on Day 2 by Rochelle


	13. Day 4: Hide and Seek

**Head Game Maker**

**Golden's POV**

_Buzz!_

I let out a sigh and hit the receive button on my desk phone.

"What is it Kirlias?" I sigh over the speaker.

"Uh, Miss there's someone outside who wishes to speak to you." I exhale and flop down onto my desk chair. Sometimes my assistant can be really dumb.

"I told you," I huff, "No one interrupts me at this hour, I have important things to deal with Game wise." I growl over the speaker.

"Um, he says he's not leaving until he sees you." Kirlias explains nervously. My growl grows louder.

"Who would dare insist to see me now!"

"I would." My blood practically freezes as I hear the silky voice come over the speaker.

President Comet.

"Let him in Kirlias." I mumble.

President Comet enters and I quickly stand up and bow. Why is he here? Two visits in less than a week cannot be good news.

"We have a problem." The President confirms my suspicions, "The Capitol is bored." He explains smoothly. My blood goes from frozen to boiling.

"Bored?" I growl, tossing my golden hair behind my shoulder.

"Yes." Comet replies casually, examining his nails on one hand, "It's becoming too anticipated, deaths are too predictable." He glances up to meet my face, "Basically the audience is bored."

"What!" I exclaim. I worked my but off for these games, and this guy is telling me that the audience is bored? I don't care if he is the damn president!

"I suggest you swallow your pride and respond to me with respect." Comet threatened. "Now, I came here to give you a second chance, don't make me regret it, I didn't have to come all this way, I'm not a messenger." I slowly nod my head and force myself to speak calmly.

"Yes Sir. I think I might have something that can fix this. Follow me."

I lead the President out of my office and to the lift in the hall, casting a death glare at Kirlias as we pass her. The least she could have done was give me a warning. I press a golden button on the lift and stand awkwardly as we travel further and further under the ground.

"Where exactly are we going?" Comet asks suspiciously.

"To the Muttation lab."

The lift doors open into the blue lighted lab and I step out, followed by Comet.

"Why are we in your little creation lab?" The President asks. I gesture for him to follow me through to the back of the lab.

"Because, I think I have something that could make the games, how do you say it? Unpredictable." I smirk. "Over here."

I bring Comet over to a tank at the very end of the lab and pull away a sheet of cloth covering the tank. The President's face immediately contorts into a smile.

"What is it?" He asks, running a hand down the outer glass of the tank. A small figure stands in the tank, it's eyes closed, floating in the water surrounding the chamber. To on looking eyes, it would appear rather strange. With the back of a serpent, front of a horse and head of a human, it is quite a sight to behold.

"I call it Proteus. In Greek Mythology it was a very powerful and old sea-god."

"And?" Comet pushes, knowing I'm holding something back.

"He was rumored to have transformation abilities. He was able to take the shape, form and voice of any living thing he desired." I smile.

"Put it into the arena."

**District 1**

**Hale Gray's POV**

"Lucy, hey, it's time to go." I try and whisper as quietly as possible to get my sister's attention. This is it, today we're leaving the careers and never coming back. I watch as Lucy stirs slightly in her sleeping bag before slowly opening her eyes.

"Hale?"

"Good morning." I smile down at her. I haven't realized how much I really missed her all these years. I guess being in the arena and all, I forgot about that. I gently shake her to get her moving. "Lucy we're leaving." I try and whisper. Even though we're in a separate tent to the other careers, I'm still worried one of them will hear us, and I definitely don't need that trouble. "Come on Lucy we need to go."

I help my sister gather up the small back pack I packed for her with things I have been slowly stealing from the career camp throughout the past four days, as well as her sleeping bag. We need to travel light, which means only the essentials.

"Ok Lucy," I explain, slinging the small pack onto her shoulder, "It's very important that we don't make any noise when we leave ok?" She nods her head so I guess she must sort of understand.

"Are we playing hide and seek with the careers?" Ok maybe not. I force myself to smile at her, despite the circumstances.

"Yeah.. hide and seek. We're going to go hide, and the careers are going to seek us." Maybe explaining it in a way she understands would be better.

"Oh.. ok!" Lucy exclaims a bit too loudly.

"Shhh!" I quickly cover her mouth with my hand and we stand and listen for several moments. I slowly remove my hand when I'm sure none of the careers have stirred from their sleep. "Lucy what did I say?" I whisper harshly. She lowers her head sadly.

"Don't make any noise." repeats sadly to show she understands.

"Ok, let's go."

"Make sure you tell them to count to 100 before trying to find us."

We quickly exit our shared tent, each with a small pack on our backs. Carefully we pass through the camp and walk by each of the two tents. All three of the remaining careers completely freak me. There's Pomona, who practically enjoys killing, then Pearl, who's silent and deadly, and finally Mace, who is just a big bully. Believe me, I'm glad Lucy and I are leaving this pack of blood thirsty demons.

I drag Lucy by the hand and we sneak through the career camp and make it quickly to the cornucopia. I take this chance for cover and quickly assess the situation around us. The sun is still only just rising, creating a good cover for us to slip away. The problem is snow must have fallen lightly in the night because now the entire arena is covered in a thin coat of white. This usually wouldn't be a problem, but it makes us far easier to track since our foot prints can be seen in the snow, and I highly doubt the careers are dumb enough to miss them.

Then I spot it. A river! It's fairly thin, it must have been slowly developing over time, but it should provide a good cover for us to escape. It seems like the river comes off the giant lake in the middle, on the opposite side to the black river streaming from the lake on the opposing side of the career camp.

"Lucy, do you want a piggy back ride?" Her entire face lights up and she nods her head eagerly.

"Yes please!" She leaps onto my back without needing further reassurance and my knees slightly buckle under the new found weight. I forgot that it was probably 5 years ago since I last did this with my sister so she would have definitely grown since then.

"Yay!" Lucy giggles on top of me and I can't help but smile. "Go horsey!"

"Alright, were going to go through that river now," I warn Lucy, "So no shaking or jumping otherwise we'll both end up in the river." I can feel Lucy nod her head, excitedly waiting for me to start moving.

With the weight of my pack, Lucy and Lucy's pack on my back, I find myself dramatically slowed in movement. I slowly make my way over to the river and walk into it. The water reaches just below my knees but it's ice cold from the snow. I bit back a cry as the water comes in contact with my pale skin.

"Hale? You okay?" Lucy asks on my back. I simply clench my mouth shut and nod my head stiffly, glad she can't see my face from where she is sitting on my back.

I follow the river downstream, glad for the cover it brings until we reach a small grassy area coated in snow. It's fairly concealed and I need a break, so I start to walk to the side of the river.

"Alright Lucy, I think you might need to get off now." I smile and help Lucy get off my back and stand on solid ground. I let out a sigh as the weight of Lucy and her pack is relieved from my back and shoulders.

"What now?" I turn to Lucy who is standing, her eyes wandering around the small secluded area.

"We find a place to hide so the careers don't find us."

Lucy's eyes suddenly fix on something and I follow her eye line.

"Hale what's that?" A figure suddenly emerges from the line of tree's in front of us and straight away I can tell it's a tribute. I quickly stand in front of Lucy, shielding her small body and take my sword from my belt. I raise it in front of me ready from a fight. No matter what happens I have to protect Lucy. The figure in the darkness raises what looks like a small knife and emerges cautiously from the shadows.

Rochelle.

I immediately drop my sword to the ground and let out a sigh of relief.

"Hey." I smile and start to approach her but the girl quickly raises her knife and backs away. "Rochelle what's going on?" She doesn't seem like the girl I first say in training. She looks frightened and scared, and I can see a hint of something else in her eyes. I notice straight away she's sustained wounds. A trickle of blood appears from the side of her head and I can see bruises and cuts all over her body. What happened to her? I approach her again, this time more cautiously and she steps away again, stopping me from closing the distance between us.

"No.. no don't come near me." She begs, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

"Why?" I question, "What's wrong."

"I'll hurt you, I've turned into a monster." The tears fall faster now and she takes a few more steps away from me, only to be met by a tree behind her, stopping her from moving any further back.

Despite her warnings I take another step towards the sobbing girl and reach out a hand to her, carefully sliding the knife out of her hand. She doesn't even protest or try or hold on to it, and I quickly toss it behind me into the snow.

"You're not going to hurt me, and I'm not going to hurt you." I whisper in a comforting tone, holding up my hands to show her I have no weapon. She shakes her head furiously and shrinks further into the tree.

"No.. no." I close the distance between us and carefully brush away a lock of her hair to reveal her head wound. She flinches at the action but doesn't stop me or pull away.

"You're hurt." I note quietly. Rochelle just keeps shaking her head but I pull her into a hug.

"Where are you allies?" I ask her quietly. This makes her start to cry even more.

"They're all dead. Aurora.. Zero, it's all my fault." She sobs onto my shoulder. "I'm a monster, they're dead and I'm still alive. I should be dead, I've killed people that shouldn't be dead" It hurt's, listening to her say this, because it's what I'm feeling myself.

"Rochelle, I've killed someone as well." I whisper, "I killed Chiffon, and it still haunts me." She lets go of me and faces me, tears still falling but less heavily.

"How did you get through it? How do you make it all stop?"

"You don't."

**District 3**

**Bassolo Thomas's POV**

We keep moving forward, no longer worried about the black river behind us, but what could possibly lie ahead. Neither of us really know what we're doing, or exactly where we're going, we just keep moving forward, moving closer and closer towards the golden temple in the nearing distance.

"Hey Bassolo, do you want to take a quick break here?" Eve calls back to me. I've fallen behind dramatically since we started moving this morning; I'm just not as athletic or fit as Eve. Sometimes I wonder why she bothers to keep me round.

I nod my head eagerly and change into a sprint to meet Eve.

"I think we could reach the temple by tonight if we walk a bit more without any more stops." She notes taking a seat next to me. I let out an inaudible sigh and lie out across the snow covered grass, stretching my limbs. Please, no more walking!

Eve seems to sense my displeasure in walking any further and lets out a good natured laugh.

"Ok.. how about we rest for a bit longer here before we keep moving. You wait here; I'm going to go see if I can find any berries or food around here." She smiles and I nod my head and smile. I sit and watch as she gets up and leaves before I stretch out and allow the sun to beat down onto my snow covered body.

My thoughts wander back to my life in District 3. I was never a popular child, heck, I wasn't a normal child. I loved learning, and I spent almost all my time indoors, studying and working hard. Although I don't really want to admit it, I think the real reason I was working hard was just so that I could get my parents attention. Thinking about it now, it's horrible that I had to work so hard just to be noticed by my own mom and dad. Then again, they already had their own problems.

Their marriage was arranged when they first meet by each of their families. If you ask me you couldn't have made a worse match. My mother is so strict, and she liked to make me work hard. She was pushy and controlling but I loved her. My father was the complete opposite, carefree and drunk by two in the afternoon. He didn't even have a job.

I inwardly shudder at the thought of my father.

_Are you proud of me now? Or are you still drunk, not even bothering to watch your own son fight to the death. _

It's funny, in some ways I don't actually want to return home. No, I don't want to stay in the Hunger Games if that was what you are thinking, I just don't want to return back home where the yelling, fighting and drunkenness is. If I won the hunger games, I could go anywhere, live anywhere, be anything I wanted. Most of all, I could be away from my dad.

My thoughts are cut short when I hear movement in the direction Eve came in. Is she back already? Since it's not like I can call out to her at all, I can only stand and watch her return. I smile as she approaches, but it drops when I see she's returned empty handed. I guess there was nothing around to eat. She has however seemed to acquire a bow and small quiver of arrows. Where did she find that?

I grab the burnt branch I have been carrying around as a writing stick and etch my question into the quickly melting snow lining the ground.

_Nothing?_

I look up and see Eve has closed the remaining distance between us and is standing opposite me. She doesn't smile, her face remaining blank.

"Aw? Is the poor mute boy hungry?" Eve asks sincerely. I can't tell if she's joking or not, because she sounds concerned, but never has she referred to me as 'mute boy' So instead of replying I slightly back away. Something is definitely not right with Eve.

"You know, I'm beginning to wonder why I even bothered to ally with you," Eve smiles taking a few steps closer to me, "You've always been such a weakling. When I saved you that day at the reapings, it wasn't because I wanted to help you, it was because I pitted you. You're so weak, how did you even manage to make it to the top 15? Oh that's right, it's because I've been protecting you the whole way."

I back up further from my ally. Her words cut deep into my mind. She's right. I wouldn't have made it nearly this far is it wasn't for her. I would have died in the blood bath, and if I had made it past that then I would have definitely perished in the River Styx. And if by some miracle I made it through that, Sammy would have certainly killed me when we got trapped in that net. Let's face it, I'm a destined bloodbath child, and always will be. I'm just a crocked glasses boy who lost his voice.

"I'm right aren't I?" Eve asks sadly. "You don't even believe in yourself. You doubt your ability to kill, and you doubt your ability to make your family proud." I stop at this. How can Eve know this much about me, we've only known each other properly for a few days, and even then only two days have been filled with actual words on my behalf.

"But you know what, it's ok," Eve continues and I look up to meet her eyes, the tears coming to a halt on my face, "Because I know I can make it all go away." I raise my eyebrow in question. How can she make every painful memory and thought in my mind go away.

My internal question is answered when she strings her bow that was at her side and aims an arrow at my head.

"Don't worry," She explains, sarcasm dripping off her words like honey, "This won't hurt a bit."

I dive down just in time to miss the arrow with my death in mind sail past me. I don't know where the heck she got the bow and arrows from, since all of our supplies were destroyed in the fire. Maybe she stole them from another tribute when she went out hunting. Yeah, that's the thing to be thinking about right now, not the fact that your only ally is trying to kill you. Eve snarls and reaches for the quiver on her back for another arrow. I take this movement to crawl across the ground and grab the arrow she fired at me. It's my only weapon right now.

I dodge again as Eve fires another arrow at me and jump to my feet. I scramble and take cover behind a nearby tree. I feel the tree shake as three more of Eve's arrows embed themselves into the bark.

"Come on Bassolo, we both know you want to die." No, I don't want to die, that's where Eve is wrong. She thinks she knows me, but she doesn't!

"No!" I scream from behind my cover, "You're wrong! And you're wrong about me!" I grip the arrow in my hand tighter and take a deep breath.

"Ok, so you want to try and live? Well too bad!" I feel Eve's hand grip my shoulder and pull me roughly out from my cover, dragging me to the ground. I feel my leg catch a root and a cut open up as a branch cuts into the flesh.

Eve drags me over and smiles.

"It's ok, it will be over before you know it." I fumble with the arrow in my hand, keeping it under my body to prevent Eve from seeing it. When she reaches behind me to grab her bow to end my life, subsequently turning her back to me, I pull my weapon out from underneath me and heave it into her back. Her screams fill the area as I force the arrow deeper. She falls to the ground, her blood quickly sinking into the snow.

I scrabble off the ground and stubble away from Eve's body. She's still breathing, but it's slowing down rapidly, I can barely see her chest rise and fall anymore. She'll be dead soon, but I don't want to be around to hear her cannon and watch her take her last breath. So instead I turn and run as fast as I can away from my ally, leaving her to die.

I think quickly and grab my writing stick as I run away, hoping deep down that this whole day was just a dream, and more or less hoping that my whole time in this cursed arena has just been a dream as well.

**District 2**

**Mace Stranol's POV**

"Hale get your lazy but out of bed!" I can't hide the smirk on my face as I listen to Pearl's constant rage. Although I can kind of understand why she's blowing up. It must be about midday by now, and Hale and Lucy are still not up. Breakfast has long been over and the two girls of the group are eager to start hunting tributes. I can't believe it's taken us till day four to actually start moving and get something done. True, day one was a rest day to recover from the bloodbath, but on day two we just got lazy. By day three tributes were actually hunting us down, them being the anti careers. I still can't believe they managed to get the upper hand on us, taking us when we were vulnerable, taking out Jess in the process. I don't miss that girl at all, but it does make us weaker as a pack. At least she took out Kall before dying.

"That's it!" Pearl yells outside Hale's tent. "Hale you better get up or I swear to-" Her sentence is cut short, catching my attention and both Pomona and I run to her side. She emerges from Hale and Lucy's tent, a look of rage on the girl's face.

"I can't believe it! That little- when I find him!" She starts yelling curse words into the open sky and grabs her knife from its place on her belt. Before either Pomona or I can stop her, she's started swiping at the tent, reducing it to shreds in seconds.

"Pearl, stop it!" Pomona cries, grabbing Pearl's unarmed arm and pulling her away from the tent.

"What happened?" I ask her when I'm sure Pomona has the knife out of Pearl's hand. Pearl scowls at me and almost makes a lunge at me, before remembering that she no longer is holding her knife.

"Hale's gone, he left along with Lucy! I can't believe it! That rat!" She shrieks. I begin to understand. Hale must have left in the middle of the night, or early morning in order to get away from us unnoticed.

"I should have known." I mutter. I don't like being made a fool of. Right from the start I was against Hale joining the careers and it turns out I was right. The boy simply used us as a cover to protect his sister, then, when I'm sure he had gathered up enough supplies from our collection, he high tailed right out of here.

"I'm going to kill him when I find him." Pearl snarls, "No scratch that, I'm going to find them first, then I'm going to kill the 12 year old while her brother watches, _then _I'm going to kill him.

I wander away from Pearl's threats to Hale and walk over to our now small supply pile. Glancing around I try and identify what Hale took. As far as I can tell, he took at least two swords from the pile, a whole three days' worth of food, not to mention two sleeping bags and our most advanced first aid kit. This doesn't leave us with much left, just a few spare knives, a few meals, three tents, two considering Pearl moments ago tore up one and a very basic medical kit.

Pearl suddenly appears by my side and shoves a back pack into my hands.

"Get packing, we're going hunting." I nod, despite the fact that the girl is ordering me around, when it should be the other way around (I am the career leader after all) and start packing what remains of our supplies into my pack, Pomona doing the same.

"Take as much as you can carry, leave what you can't. We're leaving this camp permanently; it's too out in the open."

"And where exactly are we going?" Pomona asks suspiciously, zipping up her pack and slinging it onto her shoulder.  
>"To go hunt a rat."<p>

**District 4**

**Seery Janeston's POV**

"Everybody let's stop here!" I call out. We all stop and practically fall to the ground. We walked right through the night to get as far away from the careers as possible, so everyone is completely exhausted.

"Uh! I'm never going to walk again." Kall mutters as he lays out across the grass.

"Guys wait, we need to set up camp." Calvin says as he comes to stand next to me. Everyone lets out a groan and doesn't move.

"Can't we just stay here for a bit?" Kall asks sitting up and crossing his legs.

"Ok, we'll take a break but then we have to keep moving." Calvin decides. I drop my pack and our shared trident on the ground and take a seat.

"I'm going to go for a walk." I turn to see Hayata getting up and leaving, not waiting for an answer. I'm worried about her; she hasn't been acting the same since Alex was killed. I mean, I knew the two were close, Hayata always seemed to turn to Alex for answers, but I never thought they were this close.

I don't feel right about letting her just leave, especially since she left behind her pack and her weapon, so after counting to one hundred several times and taking several deep breaths I get up.

"I'm going to go have a look around the area, make sure there aren't any tributes nearby." I announce. Monalisa nods her head and Kall just grunts.

"Ok, take the trident though ok?" I turn to Calvin and take our shared weapon from him, nodding my head in thanks. I don't know what's going on between us, lately, I just find us fighting and arguing less, resorting to playful banter instead. I shrug it off, there's no way I could ever have feelings for someone like Calvin… there's just no way.

I get up and start walking in the general direction Hayata walked in, every minute getting more worried. Hayata wouldn't do anything stupid would she? Then again, after my mother died, my mind was pretty jumbled after she passed away, and I'll admit I had thought several times about doing some stupid things. I'm just hoping Hayata doesn't make the same mistakes I did.

"Hayata? Are you here?" I call out. It's probably not the wisest thing to do in an arena filled with enemies, but I'm growing desperate. Darkness will be falling over the arena soon, and Calvin and the others will probably be wondering where I am soon. When I don't get a response I call louder.

"Hayata! Come on where are you?" I've strayed pretty far from our camp now, where could she be?

I reach a small clearing in the area and that's when I see her. She's just standing there, her back turned to me, staring off into the distance. I approach her silently and place a hand gently on her shoulder.

She flinches at the contact, sucking in a harsh breath, but it diminishes when she turns and sees me. She looks upset but tears are not falling from her face.

"What's wrong?" I ask, but immediately cringe at the question. Oh sure, _that's _the question to be asking..

"What's wrong? What's wrong! Alex is dead! That's what's wrong!" Hayata screams as me. I keep a calm head. This is exactly what I went through, maybe I can actually help her.

"Sorry, that was a dumb question, how are you feeling?"

"Like I've been hit with a truck, but also like I'm being slowly killed by poison." She sighs.

"Colorful." I smile. She lets a small smile break onto her face before it disappears again.

"I hate Alex." She blurts. I just nod my head.

"I know how your feeling. I lost my mother when I was young. I hated her for going, for leaving me. I hated her for it. Then one day, I just couldn't keep going on like that. I kept telling myself that I hated her, that she didn't deserve my love since she left, but deep down, I knew I didn't hate her at all. I was just mad at her for leaving, I'm ok now, because I know she didn't leave purposely. I just have to keep telling myself that, and just keep moving forward." I let my words sink in. Slowly, Hayata nods her head.

"I think I understand, I just sometimes don't feel like I can keep going." She explains. I put my hands on her shoulders and bring her into a hug.

"Those feeling go, after a while, you ready to come back to camp?" She nods her head and I lead her back the way we came through the forest.

When we reach camp, any sign of Hayata's distress has been wiped from her face. We arrive to find everyone huddled in a small circle, some sitting some standing.

"What's everyone looking at?" I call as we walk up to the small cluster of tributes. Calvin leans back and holds up some kind of paper with drawings on it.

"After you left a sponsor gift came." He explains with a smile. It must have been for him, but looking at it close up I can't really tell what the heck it is.

"That's great Calvin, but if you don't mind me asking, what the heck is it?" Calvin's smile falls and he looks at me sheepishly.

"Um.. we're not too sure."

"We think it must be some kind of a map." Kall explains, twisting his head to look at me and Hayata, "But of what, we're not too sure."

"It's definitely a map," Hayata says, examining the sheet of paper, "Look here in the left corner, there's a compass rose." She says pointing to the small figure.

"Whatever it is, it seems to have a triangular base of some sort, and at least three stories." I say staring intently at the black lines drawn on the map.

Suddenly Monalisa jumps up, an exited look on her face.

"What is it?" Calvin asks. She points wildly in front of us, as if gesturing to something.

"What?" I inquire confused. She points harder but quickly gives up, instead running over to her pack and grabbing her note pad. She quickly scribbles something down before turning the paper round to show us.

"What is that?" Kall asks, squinting at the paper. I stare at it intently. It's a hastily drawn picture. It kind of looks like..

"The temple!" I exclaim as I put two and two together. It all makes sense. Calvin was sent a map of the golden temple!

"It's a map to find our way around that temple in the arena. Calvin do you realize that this just gave us the biggest advantage in the arena!" I'm confused at Calvin's calm state. Doesn't he understand the greatness of the sponsor gift he just received?  
>"But there's a problem," Calvin says, holding up the sponsor gift once more for us to see, "There's a tear down the middle; we're missing half a map."<p>

**District 3**

**Eve Cane's POV**

"Come on!" I groan as the heard of deer like animals I was hunting a few moments ago sense my presence and run off into the distance. I can't seem to catch a break. Casting a look into the sky I can see the sun slowly setting, I should get back to Bassolo before it gets too dark.

I start making my way back to our small camp empty handed. If I had my bow and arrows or even a knife I'm sure I would have been able to catch something for us to eat, but everything in this damn arena seems either too big and scary to even try and kill, or too fast and nimble to even catch. Maybe I could find some berries or fruit instead for us to eat.

I think there might have been some berry bushes near our camp, so instead of hiking directly back, I veer off course and start walking in the general direction I think they might be. I keep walking but suddenly something stops me in my tracks.

Just in front of me, red drops stain what remains of the snow on the ground. A blood trail. My mind races through the possibilities. A wounded tribute, An injured mutt, or even some kind of meat. Regardless of the possible dangers I could be walking into, I find myself starting to follow the red marks through the arena. It's not hard, the blood has seeped into the snow on the ground, bringing out the red next to the white.

I push away a branch in my way to find that I'm at the end of the trail. Glancing around I find the creator of it, and it's not the answer I was hoping for. Bassolo, my ally and district partner, is sitting under a snow covered tree, nursing what looks to be a wound to his leg.

"What happened to you?" I ask quickly rushing to my partner's side. Several questions come to mind, but I suppress them for now. Why isn't he back at camp? Did he get in a fight with another tribute?

The second I speak Bassolo's head snaps up and his eyes grow wide in a mix of fear, confusion and anger. He backs away from me and shakes his head madly, like he can't believe what he's seeing.

"What's going on?" I ask confused, "Why do you look so afraid, what's wrong Bassolo?" His eyes look up at me and take in my appearance. Cautiously, he reaches over behind his shoulder and grabs his writing stick, quickly scribbling something into the ground.

_You're dead.. aren't you?_

I stare at Bassolo, confusion etched into my face. Is he joking?

"What?"

_You died, I.. I killed you.._

"Have you been imagining thing's? I'm alive, you never killed me." I force a laugh to break the tension, but Bassolo just shakes his head even more urgently. He grabs my hand and proceeds in dragging me back through the way I came, following the blood trail back to its origins.

We find ourselves back at our earlier camp where I left Bassolo to go hunting. Something huge is lying in the snow and cautiously Bassolo approaches it, tapping it with his writing stick to make sure it's dead. The only word I can find to describe what is in the snow is crazy. Whatever it is has a long and scaly tail, like a serpent, but it ends at about the thing's waist, becoming horse like with two feet and hooves. Then finally, it seems to have the arms of a human, as well as a head. I stare shocked at the mutt's head.

It's mine. I feel like I'm looking at myself in the mirror, excluding the thing's body.

"What is that?" I turn to Bassolo for answers. He just keeps staring at it, like he can't believe it. His face breaks into a fuzzy smile and he grabs his writing stick quickly.

_It wasn't you I killed! It was Proteus! _

I look back at Bassolo, everything that he is writing doesn't make any sense. Seeing my confusion Bassolo hurriedly etches more words into the snow.

_It was a mutt. Proteus was a sea god, who had amazing powers. He could shape shift into any living thing he desired, mimicking even voices. HE was who I killed, not you!_

At this revelation Bassolo tackles me in a fierce hug, silent sobs emerging from his mouth. So.. he killed this thing that looked like me, and thought he had killed me? I don't quite understand, but I don't bother asking. I'm just glad the boy from District 3 is back to his regular self.

All of a sudden, a small parachute falls from the sky and lands in front of us. My face breaks into a smile. Yes! Maybe our sponsors have finally gotten Bassolo the medicine he needs to fix his voice! Bassolo reaches excitedly for the small silver parachute and delicately removes the packaging. His brow furrows and he holds up the sponsor gift for me to see.

A torn piece of map.

D1: Jessica Rose- killed on Day 3 by Calvin and Seery  
><strong>D2: Mace Stranol- about to leave career camp, knife wound in thigh<br>****D2: Pearl Chrysler- about to leave career camp, cuts and bruises on body  
><strong>D5: Dylan DiMarco- killed in bloodbath by Jess  
><strong>D11: Pomona Carver- about to leave career camp, cuts and bruises on body <strong>

**D7: Sammy Tennant- with baby hellhound near lake, Greek book in possession, cuts on cheek  
><strong>**D10: Tucker Levington- with baby hellhound near lake, bruises all over body**

**D4: Calvin Wilson- moving away from career camp, piece of map in possession, knife wounds on arms  
><strong>**D4: Seery Janeston- moving away from career camp, knife wounds across body, injured arm  
><strong>D7: Bramble Malcome – killed in bloodbath by Rochelle  
><strong>D9: Kall Roswell- moving away from career camp, fight wounds<br>**D12: Alex Jackson- killed on Day 3 by Jess  
><strong>D12: Hayata Dise- moving away from career camp, distressed from Mona's near death and Alex's death<br>****D9: Monalisa Ryna- moving away from career camp, broken leg, gash on arm**

**D1: Hale Gray – hiding from careers, traumatized by Chiffons death  
><strong>**D8: Lucy Gray-hiding from careers, grazes on knees  
><strong>**D10: Rochelle Hunter- with Hale and Lucy, head wound and cuts.**

**D3 : Eve Cane- walking towards golden temple, small burns and rope wounds  
><strong>**D3 : Bassolo Thomas- walking towards golden temple, piece of map in possession, voice lost and rope wounds**

D8: Chiffon Burrel- killed in bloodbath by Hale  
>D11 : Hachet Gennard- killed in bloodbath by Pearl<p>

D6 : Aurora Nevet- killed on Day 2 by Sybil  
>D6 : Zero Godwin- killed in bloodbath by Jess<p>

D5 : Sybil Holloway- killed on Day 2 by Rochelle


	14. Day 5: New Allies

**District 7**

**Sammy Tennant's POV**

I am awoken by what I can only describe as wet sandpaper kisses. Slowly opening my eyes, I find two dark midnight pupils staring back eagerly at me.

"Hey." I giggle slightly as I push the hellhound off my body. He lets out a friendly bark, but I quickly shush him.

"Shh, Tucker's still asleep." He whimpers a bit and I let out a sigh before finally caving.

"Fine, how about we go look for some food for breakfast." Pulling myself up, I rub my eyes tiredly before slinging my pack over my shoulder and grabbing the knife Tucker gave me. If only I had an axe. The Greek book is still sitting securely in my pack, where hopefully no one will find it. I can't believe our luck securing it. Reading over it last night, I realized what a big advantage the small book actually gives us in the arena.

I start on the long walk towards the four traps Tucker and I set up to catch food. Well, actually now three, since I cut lose the District 3 tributes yesterday. Why did I do that? The question keeps bothering me, and I can't make it stop. Why did I set them free? I could have killed them both then and there, and yet, I didn't, and I stopped my ally from doing the same.

Deep down, I know the truth to it. I set them free because I know that they have families back home. I allowed them to escape because I know what it's like to lose someone you love to something as cruel as the Hunger Games. I've experienced how it feels to watch someone die on TV. I lost my best friend to the games, and I didn't want anyone else to have to feel and go through what I did, weather I actually know them or not.

It's dumb, I know. There can be only one winner in these games, and I'm letting tributes go left and right. If I want to get back home to my best friend's sister, I'm going to need to try harder.

As I walk, my hand unintentionally begins to trace the two knife wounds on my cheek. Why did that girl in the bloodbath attack me? It was like she had a grudge against me. I don't think I've ever been more scared in my life in that moment. But it wasn't the fact that I was about to die, no, what scared me was my unwillingness to kill her. I mean, she attacked me out of nowhere and was going to kill me without a second thought, and yet, I wouldn't, couldn't kill her. I don't know why.

**District 2**

**Mace Stranol's POV**

"Come on get moving!" I let out a loud sigh to answer Pearl's demands. Must she order us around?

"Who died and made you queen?"

"I heard that!"

"That's why I said it loud!" I let out another loud groan, making sure both Pearl and Pomona can hear me. Seriously, if they keep it up like this, this alliance could be over before they know it. I suppress the witty comment I was going to spit in my ally's face and instead continue in walking behind the girls as we continue our hunt for tributes. Most likely one tribute in particular. Hale.

It sucks being the only guy left in the careers. The girls seem to have bonded over their love of killing and crazy nature, meaning that I am always outnumbered in group decisions, IE, the decision that we should leave the career camp all together and start hunting tributes. I'm the leader of this group after all, I should be making these decisions, not Pearl and Pomona.

We keep moving forward, following Pearl through the arena floor.

"Wait! Everyone stop and get down." We all dive to the ground immediately at the sound of Pomona's voice.

"What is it?" I hiss under my breath, drawing my mace out from my pack and readying myself for a fight.

"I saw a tribute's shadow in the forest. Someone must be nearby."

"Do you think it was Hale?" I ask the question I know Pearl must be thinking. My district partner shakes her head and scowls disappointingly.

"No, I saw the shadow. It looked female. Whoever is was is close."

"I say we go after them." I conclude.

"No, we need to continue in our search for that traitor Hale." Pearl glares at me with dagger eyes. But for once, I don't allow myself to back down; instead I meet my ally's eye line, challenging her. Finally, Pomona makes a decision.

"I'm with Mace, if it's a tribute, then I say we do some damage." An evil smile curls across the District 11 girl's face and I can tell their will be no arguing with her. If we don't give her a kill, then either Pearl or I could be next on her list.

Pulling myself from the ground, I scan the area for the figure in the trees. I can no longer see her, but I'm sure she must still be close. Silently, Pearl pulls out her whip from her pack, while Pomona draws out some wicked looking throwing knives. Now those I don't recognize.  
>"Where did you get those?" I question her suspiciously, pointing to the weapons in the girl's hand. Pomona just smiles knowingly.<p>

"A parachute brought them a few days ago." I let out a groan. Of course people would be betting that the blood thirsty girl from 11 would win the games. I brush off the thought and ready my own weapon as we run in formation towards the entrance of the wood like area. Each time I take a step, I feel water soak up from the grass beneath me into the sandals covering my feet. I mean, I know the game makers were going for a Greek feeling when designing our outfits for the arena, but they could have at least made them more weather resistant.

We each take cover behind a tree, peering out into the surrounding forest area. There. I see the shadow of a tribute as it moves further and further away from us, yet still not detecting our movements. I draw myself out from my shelter behind the thick trunked tree and start moving towards the figure in the distance. My allies do the same left and right from me, but each move slighter further away, planning to cut off the tribute in case she tries to make a run for it. I continue my straight course alone as Pomona disappears to my left, and Pearl to my right.

Continuously ensuring the enemy doesn't spot me, I make my way closer and closer, taking cover in the form of shadows and bushes whenever I get the chance. The closer I get, the more I can make out the defined features of the tribute's face. Wavy brown hair shrouds the girl's face, but I can still see flashes of green eyes each time the tribute moves. Sammy. The District 7 tribute. This is way too easy. Finally, I'm in close proximity of her, and I come out from the shadows and start in a running sprint towards her, hoping to catch her off guard. She lets out a scream as she seems me running towards her, and takes off in the opposite direction, hoping to out run me. A four legged midnight figure seems to follow her, but from the distance I am, I can't make out what it is.

My feet thump loudly against the over grown grass on the arena floor as I continue my chase. Where are my other allies? Sammy is faster on her feet than she appears, easily increasing the distance between her and I as she runs. We keep up the chase until I realize we've made it right through the forest area, and into a clearing. As I run, I have to take in my surroundings. A golden temple stands way off into the distance to my right, and behind me I know the giant lake still lies. But it is what's in front of me which catches me off guard. A giant coliseum, partially collapsed stands in front of me, white marble rising from the ground. Ruins of the once proud building litter the floor in front of me, as if the structure was literally torn apart piece by piece, but only moderately. An unstable roof sits on part of the piece of architecture, while some parts remain open, light flooding in and filling the large one room building. Sammy takes off into the maze of marble, and I can tell she's hoping to lose me inside.

She's gotten a good head start, so by the time I run in following her, I can no longer find the green eyed girl.

"Sammy?" I call out mockingly. "Come out come out where ever you are!" I can hear footsteps to my right, so I follow the open corridor of marble, raising my mace ready to attack. I pin my back to the edge of the wall, before turning to the other side of the corridor and swinging my weapon in front of me.

My ally Pearl barely misses a blow to the head as she dodges the attack.

"Jesus Mace, you almost gave me a heart attack." She clutches her heart before returning to her usual composed nature. "Did you identify the tribute?"

"Yeah, It's Sammy from District 7." An evil smile immediately fills Pearl's face.

"Perfect. I've been waiting for this rematch for a long time."

**District 2**

**Pearl Chrysler's POV**

I share a sly smile with my ally before taking off down the corridor in search of the District 7 girl. This time, I'm not going to let up on her. I let her get away once, but this time I'll have her begging for her life. I can hear footsteps echoing in all directions around the ruins, but I know only one set of them will lead me towards my kill. Expertly, I close my eyes and block out all other noises, hoping to identify the pair that belong to Sammy. My hearing picks up one set that sounds lighter, quicker… as if the owner were trying to move undetected. Perfect.

Securing my whip in one hand, I dig around in my pack for a certain item. Carefully pulling out the jar, I skew open the lid and delicately dip the tail end of my weapon into the poison contained in the small glass vile.

"_Pomona, why are you dragging me all the way out here?" I complain loudly, not caring if anyone hears me in the arena. We're two expertly trained fighters, what's a tribute going to do to us? _

"_Just shut up and follow me." The District 11 girl proceeds in dragging me by the hand away from the career camp while Mace continues to finish packing up the last of our supplies. She glances over her shoulder once more, ensuring that we are far enough from our camp that Mace won't see us, before returning her eyes to me. A small smile curves onto her face as she digs around in her cloak pocket before pulling her hand out and pressing the contents into mine. _

"_I found this yesterday at the bottom of the supply pile. It's poison. Trust me, I recognize this stuff. Back home, the peacekeepers would dip it onto their weapons when doing public whippings to give maximum pain to the victim. It's not going to kill you, but trust me, it hurts like hell. I trust you far more than I trust Mace, and I don't want this falling into his hands." I open my palm to reveal a small glass vile of dark purple liquid. It looks deadly just looking at it. My mind races with all the possible ways I could torture my victims, uh, tributes with it. So many ways… _

I Smile at the memory. Pomona is someone I can trust. An alliance inside an alliance you could call it. Neither of us have faith in Mace's leading ability, so at least with two of us on the same side; we can get our point across. I just hope the poison does as much damage to the District 7 girl as Pomona described. My whip sizzles as the poison comes in contact with the hard leather, small puffs of smoke emitting from the edges. Closing my eyes once more, I once again identify Sammy's light footsteps and take off down the ruins, my whip trailing behind me.

I come to an abrupt stop as the corridor ends and splits into two passage ways. One to my left, the other to my right. Darkness fills the area, making it hard to see. I don't want to risk lighting a match as I know it could potentially give away my location. I am about to choose the right path when I hear noise to my left. Quickly I sprint down the corridor, not caring about the echoing noise my footsteps have on the marble and follow the soft sound. I have her now. Abruptly, the roof above me disappears and I emerge out into an open area of the ruins, finding grass beneath me. I don't let the change in scenery stop me and I continue to run.

She's finally within my sights. She's on the ground, crawling under what looks to be a toppled over supporting column from the once proud building, trying to get to the other side where I know she'll be able to escape me. She's small, and can easily fit through the small hole, so I have to move fast. I tear through the field and grab her leg just before she is able to disappear under the piece of marble. She lets out a cry as I begin to pull her out by her leg, and quickly I have her on the ground in front of me.

"Good to see you again." I smile. She reaches for her knife which I know she's concealed in her belt but with one flick of my whip I secure her arm and kick away the knife with my foot. She screams out in pain as the poison on my whip digs into her skin, and when I retract my weapon, I can see clearly where the poison has sunken in.

Sammy suddenly reaches out and yanks one of my feet off the ground, causing me to topple and fall. I stumble onto the grass to see her again trying to crawl back under the opening between the column and the ground but I twist my whip again and wrap it around one of her legs. She backtracks and tries to tackle me to the ground, forcing me to sprawl out across the dirt. I snarl out and grab at her hair and we go tumbling across the grass, kicking and scratching at each other. I emerge out on top and grab her by her neck, my whip discarded in the tumble and throw her head as hard as I can onto the marble column in front of me. Sammy's body immediately goes limp in my hands and she slumps to the ground unconscious, a small blood line quickly emerging from her wound.

I stumble backwards away from her body, before picking myself up off the ground. She's not dead, but she's sustained a lot of wounds, not to mention that poison will definitely cause some pain when she wakes up. All I have to do is deliver one blow with my whip, and my revenge will be complete. I raise my weapon above my head, and I am about to bring in down on her helpless body when I feel a hand grip mine from behind, stopping me from delivering the final blow.

"Pearl wait." I can tell it's Mace's by his voice. A low growl emerges from the back of my throat as I feel his grip tighten on my hand.

"This is my kill Mace, I've been waiting for this for years." I snarl at him, ally or not, if he gets in the way of my revenge, he's going to be the next one I kill.

"I'm not saying we shouldn't kill her, but remember who her ally is. Tucker, the man at the very beginning of training we identified as a major threat. He'll come looking for her, and when he does, we'll have them both. We can use her as bait to get to Tucker." Mace argues calmly. I turn to Pomona for support, but she just nods her head.

"I'm with Mace. This way, we kill two birds with one stone." A cunning smile covers her face and slowly I lower my weapon. I take one her look at the unconscious girl lying on the grass. She looks so innocent and so small, but that's not going to stop me from extracting every form of revenge I can possibly think of on her, and that includes killing her ally right in front of her eyes.

"Fine."

**District 12**

**Hayata Dise's POV**

"So what's the plan?"

"I don't think we should go, it could be a trap and plus, we don't even have a full map." Calvin argues defensively.

"But we don't know that," Kall reasons, "This map might have just given us the biggest advantage possible." He continues.

"I agree with Kall on this one," Seery joins our conversation as she packs up her back pack. "I think we should go, Monalisa what do you think?" Monalisa nods her head and goes to stand next to Seery and Kall, showing she is siding with them. Calvin stands his ground opposite them, not budging one bit. That leaves me, standing in the middle of the two groups.

"I don't want to lose anyone else," Calvin says sternly, crossing his arms in front of his body, "It's my fault we lost Alex, and I don't want to risk anyone else's life in some Game Maker's trap." Kall turns to me, noticing I am the only one who is still undecided.

"Hayata, what do you think?"

I honestly don't know. On one hand, I agree with Calvin. We should risk anyone else's life wandering into a temple with only one half of a map. But on the other hand, I think Seery has a point. Calvin obviously has been given a huge advantage over other tributes by being given this sponsor gift, and we should use it.

"I think.." I start, "We should go. Kall lets out a whoop in response and drags me by my arm over to his side of the debate. I pull my arm quickly away so I can finish my thoughts.

"But, I think we should find the other half of the map first, otherwise we could be in trouble when we actually get into the temple.

"Ok, I'm with Hayata." Seery decides. "Calvin, what do you think?" The District 4 man lets out a sigh and walks over to join us.

"I'm in."

Monalisa quickly grabs our attention as she scribbles something onto her note pad.

_But how are we going to find the other part of the map? For all we know it could not be in the arena at all!_

"No," I say thinking, "The game makers would put two parts of the map in the arena, and give them to two different tributes, who aren't in the same alliance. That way, we either have to work together, or kill each other to get through the temple."

"I vote for working together." Kall raises his hand and smirks.

"Ok, so let's make our way to the temple, hopefully whoever has the other half of the map has the same idea and we'll run into them."

We start moving with new found energy towards the golden structure shrouded with mystery at the corner of the arena. Calvin and Seery naturally lead, while Kall and Monalisa follow behind. I hang to the back of the group, not feeling like engaging in conversation with anyone. I miss Alex so much. More than I can cope with. I try and follow Seery's advice she gave me yesterday. Just keep moving forward. A thought has been bugging me though ever since my best friend died. Surely, if I were to win, I knew Alex would have to die. I guess I never really allowed my brain to think about that. But the fact eats away at me constantly. What would have happened if we both ended up in the top two. Would I have killed him? I don't want to think about what my answer would be.

I guess we got it lucky when the map came to us, since we were already moving in the general direction of the temple, as it only takes us a few hours to reach it. We're only about 10 minutes from the entrance when Seery suddenly shoves us all to the ground.

"Shh, don't make any noise." She warns, drawing out her dagger and passing her shared trident to Calvin.

"What's going on?" I ask confused, and slightly scared.

"I saw two tributes near us." From my spot on the ground I pull myself into a kneeling position and glance over the bushes that are currently hiding our location from the two tributes. I can't tell who they are since the trees around us are casting shadows on their faces, but I am immediately weary. Neither seem to have any supplies. This means they are defenseless.

Abruptly, one of the dark figures turns in our direction, then suddenly breaks into a sprint in the opposite direction of us. It grabs the hand of the other tribute as it runs, forcing the small figure to run faster away from us. They saw us!

"Don't let them get away!" Calvin yells as he leaps through the bushes and follows the tributes through the forest area. We all immediately follow him as we gain on the tributes. One tribute seems to be slowing down the other, and we quickly surround them, forming a tight circle around them, stopping them from escaping.

I can immediately tell who the tributes are. The pair from 3, Bassolo and Eve.

"What do you want?" Eve snaps at us, trying to protect Bassolo at the same time.

"Why are you in this area?" Kall asks suspiciously. I quickly notice something in the small boy's hand, even as he is trying to discreetly hide it from our view, and I call him out on it.

"What's that in your hand." I call, drawing out my bow and arrow in the process. The boy flinches at the weapon as it comes into sight but makes no move to show us his possession.

"It's nothing." His district partner barks. It's definitely not nothing.

I quickly soften my tone as I realize that what Bassolo has in his hand is the thing we were looking for. If I want him to even think about showing it to me, I'll need to be more gentle.

"Show me." I approach him, dropping my bow to my side to show him I won't hurt him. He shakes his head quickly and hides behind Eve. Why won't he talk at all?

"Hayata what are you doing?" Calvin warns. I turn my head to him and give him a look to show I know what I'm doing.

"I think we can help you." I explain. I turn to Calvin again, "Pass me your sponsor gift." He gives me a questioning look before tossing the rolled up map to me.

"I'll show you what this is, if you show me what that is." I say, pointing to the map in my hand, then to the boy's small hand, where I know he's trying to hid his possession.

Reluctantly, Bassolo releases the paper, rolling it out and holding it up to me. I unroll our half of the map, and hold it up to Bassolo's paper, letting out a sigh as the two join together perfectly.

"They're a match." Eve breaths beside me, examining the paper while still trying to stay a safe distance away from me. She turns back to me with a cold expression.

"What does this mean?" She asks sternly.

"It means we're allies. At least for now." Seery says taking a step towards us.

"We should work together, because I don't think anyone here wants to fight to the death over this." Calvin explains. Eve slowly nods her head, withdrawing her side of the map.

"Fine, allies. For now."

**Mace's Brother**

**Hammer Stranol's POV**

I scowl at the television as I watch my brother continue to succeed in the games. When will he give up and just die!

"I'm so proud of our little Mace." I her mother sigh happily to the screen as the camera's flash to Mace's alliance. I scoff loudly making sure my mother can hear me.

"He's not doing that great. Look, that Pearl girl is stepping all over him." I growl pointing to the television. "If that were me-"

"Hammer don't start with me. Your brother is doing great." Mother scowls. Anger rises up within me, threating to boil over.

"But it was my year! You knew I was going to volunteer, and yet you support Mace's decision. What kind of a mother are you!" I rise up from the plush leather seat and exit the room, leaving my mother behind.

What was Mace thinking? I'm the perfect child! I'm the one who got the best marks in school, who made all the sports teams. The one who got all the girls, and the one with the perfect blonde hair and blue eyes. Mace was always a failure. Failure as school, no girls ever talked to him. Dirty blonde hair and messy brown eyes, not to mention those horrible scars that covered his face from training. And now, just because he's suddenly in the Hunger Games, he's like this prodigy child. That should be me on that screen, not him! I was the one who trained for the games, not him. It should be me leading the career pack, not his sorry butt.

I need air. I walk through our huge house to our garden out back. The air is clean and fresh, and helps me cleanse my thoughts.

"Hammer?" My feelings are cut short as my little sister Flandre appears from around the corner. "What's wrong big brother?" I scowl at her, but she doesn't budge. She has Mace's personality. She never back's down, not even when she knows she can't win.

"Nothing."

"Did you see big brother Mace on TV? He's doing so well!" Flandre giggles excitedly. I feel like hitting her at that moment. "I was surprised you didn't volunteer this year Hammer, I thought you were going to!" My scowl deepens at her words.

"Yeah well, Mace seemed to have other plans."

**District 9**

**Kall Roswell's POV**

I try and suppress the scowl that threatens to cover my face as we continue to make our way towards the temple. This is such a bad idea. There is no way forming an alliance with Bassolo and Eve is a smart move. It's not that I don't trust them, it's the fact that our group is now much bigger. But I guess we do have a choice, if we ever want to make it through the temple, since Bassolo has the remaining piece of the map.

"So…" Eve drawls awkwardly beside me. Seery and Calvin are of course leading the group up the front, and Monalisa, Bassolo and Hayata have broken away and have started up their own conversation, although I'm not sure how it's really working, considering two of them are mutes. That leaves Eve and I to make small talk, and it's obviously not going so well.

"So…" I mimic her tone, and a small smile spreads across her face. "How's your time in the arena been?"

"Well, between Bassolo almost drowning in a game maker's trap, and getting caught in a rope trap, pretty well."

I'm saved from having to try and make any more conversation as our rather large group suddenly comes to an abrupt stop. I look up and gasp. We're finally here. A giant wall springs up in front of us to form one of the edges of the giant temple. Damn, it's a lot bigger than I originally thought.

"We're here." Calvin mutters under his breath. Seery simply nods her head, but a frown quickly covers her face.

"So.. how exactly do we get in?" Hayata walk towards the wall and runs a small hand along the gold exterior.

"Over here, I think there's writing engraved into the wall." We all crowd around her and I find myself squinting at what looks to be small indentations in the wall. I stare at Hayata for answers.

"What does it say?" She squints at the wall for a bit, mouthing out the words before leaning back and answering.

"I never was, am always to be. No one ever saw me, nor ever will. And yet I am the confidence of all, to live and breathe on this terrestrial ball. What am I?" Hayata's face contorts into a look of confusion as she reads out the passage.  
>"It's a riddle." Eve explains slowly beside me. "Maybe we have to answer it to gain access to the temple. Look over there!" She points towards a small dial underneath the inscription. Eight small squares sit on the dial. Eve turns one, and reveals a letter on each side of the squares. "I think we have to spell out the answer on this."<p>

"Ok, so what's something that no one will ever see, but will always be?" I ask confused. I'm getting a headache just thinking about it. Suddenly, the boy from 3 waves his hand and approaches the dial. With his back turned, he proceeds in turning the small squares to spell out a word. Once finished, he steps back to reveal his answer.

_Tomorrow_

The wall around us suddenly begins to shake, and a small square of wall begins to sink into the earth below, creating an entrance way for us to enter the temple.

"Bassolo you're a little genius!" Eve tackles him in a flying hug and the boy just smiles proudly.

"Good work." Calvin smiles for the first time all day, and it gives everyone hope. "Shall we?"

**Rochelle's Mother**

**Odelle Hunter's POV**

I sit and watch my little girl fall apart. The man from District 1, Hale, comforts her, but her tears continue to fall. It breaks my heart, but there's nothing I can do. Slowly, I pull myself up off the couch and switch of the small television. My husband and son are sitting in the room, but no one says a word. We remain silent, each replaying a part of the ongoing games in our minds. For me, it's when my sweet little daughter murdered the man from District 7 in the bloodbath. It keeps replaying in my mind, and I can't seem to stop it.

I don't think I can ever look at Rochelle again after this. Not after she's killed two people.

"It will be ok." My husband and Rochelle's father places a comforting hand on my shoulder, before drawing me into a hug. I allow tears to fall from my face, but it's not from the loss of Rochelle, it's from the knowledge that my own daughter, the one who I bought up and loved, has killed actual human beings. I don't think I can live with that knowledge.

"No," I shake my head into Petrady's shoulder, "It's not going to be ok." I lean back to meet his dark brown eyes as he rubs comforting circles on my back. "Our daughter's a monster."

"Don't say that." Petrady scalds. "She's just trying to stay alive." He looks at me with calming eyes, but they do nothing to dwell the feelings of loss inside me.

"No Petrady. She's not the same girl. She's killed people, how can you go on knowing that our child is a murderer?" Tears well up in my eyes as I say the words.

"It will be ok." He repeats the same sentence and this time it offers more comfort.

For the first time I notice Tom-Tom, Rochelle's little brother, still just sitting there, looking at the blank screen. I pull away from my husband's body and go sit next to my 10 year old son.

"Mommy, what happened to Relle? She seems different." My heart breaks at his words. The Hunger Games are compulsory watching for everyone in Panem, even 10 year olds. Tom-tom has had to sit and watch as his sister killed two people. I wouldn't be surprised if he's been scarred for life. I can see Rochelle so much in him, they both have the same chocolate brown eyes.

"It's ok, she'll be ok." My words could not be so wrong.

D1: Jessica Rose- killed on Day 3 by Calvin and Seer  
><strong>D2: Mace Stranol- in Greek ruins, knife wound in thigh<br>****D2: Pearl Chrysler- in Greek ruins, cuts and bruises on body  
><strong>D5: Dylan DiMarco- killed in bloodbath by Jess  
><strong>D11: Pomona Carver- in Greek ruins, cuts and bruises on body<br>****D7: Sammy Tennant- unconscious with careers, Greek book in possession, cuts on cheek and poison wounds. **

**D10: Tucker Levington- with baby hellhound near lake, bruises all over body**

**D3 : Eve Cane- exploring Greek temple, small burns and rope wounds  
><strong>**D3 : Bassolo Thomas- exploring Greek temple, piece of map in possession, voice lost and rope wounds  
><strong>**D4: Calvin Wilson- exploring Greek temple, piece of map in possession, knife wounds on arms  
><strong>**D4: Seery Janeston- exploring Greek temple, knife wounds across body, injured arm  
><strong>D7: Bramble Malcome – killed in bloodbath by Rochelle  
><strong>D9: Kall Roswell- exploring Greek temple, fight wounds<br>****D9: Monalisa Ryna- exploring Greek temple, broken leg, gash on arm  
><strong>D12: Alex Jackson- killed on Day 3 by Jess  
><strong>D12: Hayata Dise- exploring Greek temple, cuts on arm<strong>

**D1: Hale Gray – hiding from careers, traumatized by Chiffons death  
><strong>**D8: Lucy Gray-hiding from careers, grazes on knees  
><strong>**D10: Rochelle Hunter- with Hale and Lucy, head wound and cuts.**

D8: Chiffon Burrel- killed in bloodbath by Hale  
>D11 : Hachet Gennard- killed in bloodbath by Pearl<p>

D6 : Aurora Nevet- killed on Day 2 by Sybil  
>D6 : Zero Godwin- killed in bloodbath by Jess<p>

D5 : Sybil Holloway- killed on Day 2 by Rochelle


	15. Day 6: I Promise

**District 4**

**Seery Janeston's POV**

"Ok.. so we've all agreed that going left gets us killed, going right gets us shredded alive, going forward gets us lost and going backwards is unproductive.. so what now?" Trust our alliance to get lost in a giant golden temple. After at least two near death experiences, one involving Calvin who almost fell into a never ending pit, and the other involving Eve who almost got impaled by a spike, we decided to play it a little more cautiously.

"Eve? You tell us, you're the one with the map." Kall replies.

I cast a look over to the District 3 girl analyzing the two pieces of paper joined together with a small piece of rope.

"There's no other ways." She replies flatly. I look around where we currently are. We're standing in the very middle of the temple, four dark and small corridors break out on either side of us, one being the way we already came.

"According to the map, the stairs should be right here." Eve says frustrated.

"Well, obviously not."

Calvin lets out a frustrated sigh and stands closer to Eve to look over the map. I'm not going to say that him standing so close to her makes me a little jealous, because it doesn't. Honestly, it's not like I have feelings for him. That would be crazy. Yet still, seeing him spend so much time with an attractive girl his age analyzing a map somehow manages to make by blood boil.

"There has to be a way we haven't tried, they wouldn't put a golden temple in an arena, give two tributes maps to find their way inside it, only to give it a dead end." Calvin mutters.

"Maybe they did," Hayata says slowly, "Maybe this whole thing was just a trap." Monalisa and Bassolo shake their head in unison and the boy writes something down on Monalisa's note pad.

_It wouldn't make any sense to go to that much effort to trap tributes. Game makers have thousands of ways that could kill us in seconds._

"Ok," I drawl, "Then what now, we can't stay here forever." I glance at the torch in Kall's hand and cringe slightly. The light is definitely going out, and it's the only one we have. It's already shorted out several times and it's not going to last much longer.

I think back to how we got into the temple in the first place. It was Bassolo who got us in, the smart boy. It was a dial on the side of the temple exterior, and by answering the riddle, a door that was originally unseen open up.

Wait.. that's it!

"Guys I think I have an idea!" I exclaim suddenly and rush to the closest wall and run my hand along the golden bricks. "Remember how we got into this place? A secret door and you had to answer a riddle to see it. What if it's like that now?" I can barely contain my excitement. Finally, we might be getting somewhere!

"Quick! Everyone check a wall, run your hands along it if you have to."

I watch as everyone takes a separate wall and proceeds in skimming it with their hands, checking for any engravings or hidden text. I do the same with the wall closest to me, running a smooth hand across the rough exterior. The room is dead silent and my heart sinks as the minutes pass by. What if there aren't any hidden riddles? What if Hayata is right and this whole thing is just some twisted game maker's way of getting us all into the same area to kill us all.

Monalisa banging her makeshift crutch against a wall draws me from my thoughts and my heart involuntarily skips a beat.

"What is it?" Hayata moves over to the small girl and I see a small smile break onto her face.

"Guys she found it! The next riddle!" I practically sprint over to where Hayata and Monalisa are standing and motion for Kall to shine his torch over the wall.

"What does it say?" Calvin questions. I watch Kall squint to read the faint indentations in the stone under the dim light.

"The more you take, the more you leave behind." Kall reads out loud. He lets out a forced laugh as he finishes reading the words, "So we've established that the game makers take us for some sort of brain box. Anyone got any answers to this one?"

We all instantly turn to Bassolo for answers. The small boy looks slightly scared at all of the sudden attention but shakes his head sadly. Even the brainy boy from District 3 can't come up with an answer.

"Can't you think of anything?" I press maybe a bit too hard. Eve goes and stands defensively at the boy's side.

"Hey it's not his fault. Why don't you think of something for a change?" She snaps coldly.

"Why don't you?" I ball my hands into fists at my side and try not to let my agitation for the girl who's a year older than me show. I'm usually calm but this girl just seems to rub me in all the wrong ways. I'm not going to say that this has anything to do with her and Calvin.

"Hey girls," Calvin steps in between us and holds his hands out, "Time out ok, let's just focus on the riddle." I slowly nod my head and turn my attention away from Eve and back to the task at hand.

"Ok, so… any ideas?" Hayata questions nervously. I shake my head and lean in to get a closer look at the riddle.

"There's no dial this time." I notice, tracing my fingertips along the stone just in case I may have missed it, "So how are we meant to answer the riddle?"

"Let's just focus on figuring out the solution to the riddle first." Calvin says calmly.

"What about freedom? The more you create, the more you're leaving behind." Kall states.

Just as he has spoken, the walls around us suddenly begin to violently shake. Bassolo and Monalisa hold onto each other for dear life as the walls around us shift and Hayata has to duck out of the way as the wall she was leaning on begins to move closer in. Soon we are forming a tight group as the walls around us close in and cut off the four passage ways, leaving us in a very small square room with no way out.

"So I'm guessing freedom wasn't the answer?" Kall jokes nervously.

"It's voice activated," Calvin notices suddenly, "There's no dial because you are meant to say the answer out loud.

"And I'm guessing that if you get the answer wrong, then the walls around us move in closer until they squish you alive." I guess. Hayata nods her head.

"Right, so no more wrong answers then."

**District 9**

**Kall Roswell's POV**

We're trapped in an eight foot by eight foot room, with no way to get out other than by answering some stupid riddle. Things could get worse.. right?

I take a look at everyone in the small room. Hayata is pacing slightly while Calvin is leaning against one of the walls, a look of concentration etched into his face. Seery's reading over the riddle again, while Eve is standing with her arms crossed looking frustrated and out of her element. The quietest tributes of our alliance are sitting on the stony ground cross-legged taking turns scrawling things out on my district partner's notepad, crossing potential answers to the riddle out and writing new ones.

I've never really considered the fact that Monalisa and I are district partners. Sure, we are from the same District, but we are like polar opposites. She's deadly quiet, while I get told off for being too loud. She seems to think before she acts, while I go with pure gut instinct and don't think things through, getting me into all kinds of trouble. If you want evidence, just look at my training score.

"We can't really be trapped here can we?" Hayata asks. She might be trying to hide it, but I can hear the nervousness in her voice. I shrug.

"Who knows, it's ultimately the game makers choice." She cringes at my response and I feel guilt set into me at my un-helpful comment. "But not really, they can't kill off seven tributes in one go, the Capitol would go bonkers."

I don't get a chance to say anymore as Calvin suddenly stands up straighter.

"I think I know the answer."

"Well?" I ask expectantly. I watch Monalisa hand him the notepad so he can write down his answer for everyone to see. I can barely make out the soft written word but once I do I feel like we might just be able to get out of this hell hole alive.

_Footprints_

"What do you think?" Calvin questions.

"I say if there is a chance it gets us out of here, then try it." Seery says confidently. To my surprise it's Eve who contradicts her.

"But if it's wrong, we could all end up getting crushed to death." Eve notes. Seery sends her a death stare and opens her mouth to most probably say a death threat but Calvin cuts her off.

"Only one way to find out, the answer is footprints!" He yells.

For a moment, I think the walls are about to cave in, since the whole room starts shaking. Then, to my and everyone's relief, a small square of the celling disappears and a small flimsy rope ladder falls down.

"Hallelujah!" Seery cries. She turns and hugs Calvin in a burst of happiness which he accepts without hesitation. I clear my throat just for fun and watch their reaction as they suddenly pull apart awkwardly and stand a good 2 feet apart.

"Good work Calvin." Seery mutters. I smirk before clearing the awkward air.

"Who wants to go first?"

I have to carry Monalisa up the rope ladder with the help of Hayata since she is unable to climb up it herself with her broken leg and injured arm. It still amazes me that she can keep up with all of us.

Once we've all made it up the ladder I can get a good look at where we now are. Great, another small room. But the difference this time is that there's a golden door at the very end of this one.

"So Eve," I ask as she emerges and stands next to me, "where exactly are we now?" She takes another look at the map in her hands before meeting my eye line.

"That's the final room over there. I can't believe we actually made it." She says it so evenly that at first I think she's joking, but when I look over at the paper in her hands, I can tell she's right. There's only one square on the map in front of the current square we are in, indicating that the room in front of us will be the end of this journey.

I walk at the back of the group, my eyes fixed on the door that is growing closer and closer every step we take. I can't believe we made it out alive. I actually thought that somewhere along the way, one of us would end up dying, but here we all are, we all made it.

I can't help but wonder why though this room is here. Surely the Game makers would have put the final room here, instead of just a room that leads to the end room. Something doesn't feel right about the whole thing. There must be a purpose to this room, it can't just be here just to be here. The Game makers have a reason for everything. My eyes immediately begin scanning the room when something suddenly catches my eye as we walk down. A small wire running parallel to the wall of the room is strung in the middle of the room, right where a person's foot could catch it.. or trip it.

It's a tripwire.

It all happens in slow motion. I watch as Hayata's small sandal covered foot and Monalisa's make shift crutch shatter the small trip wire at the exact same moment and all hell breaks loose. My head snaps up to the top left corner of the corridor to see a piece of rope connected to a giant spear snap and the weapon begin to make it's short decent down onto two innocent victims.

"Get out of the way!" Their heads snap round to face me but I know there won't be enough time. My world speeds up as I push past the pairs from District 4 and 3 and rush to Hayata and Monalisa. I practically tackle them out of the line of the spear and I watch them both sprawl out on the ground.

Then I feel the spear sever my body.

I feel my body crash to the ground and the world around me turn white. I don't want to go. I'm not ready to leave this earth. Not yet. Please. But I know it is already too late. I think I can almost hear my cannon as my world goes dark.

**District 9**

**Monalisa Ryna's POV**

It's the cannon I hear first. The sound of death really. As I pull myself from the stone ground I'm not prepared for what I see. Kall. His body collapsed on the floor, blood leaking from a wound in his chest. Hayata sits up beside me, with a stunned look on her face.

"What… what just happened?"

"Kall just sacrificed his life for you." Calvin replies softly. I can only watch as he moves over to my district partner's body and closes his eyelids with his fingers. I shake my head furiously, as if by doing so I can take back time so that Kall never sacrificed his life for Hayata's and my own.

"No please. Tell me that's not true." Hayata practically begs as Seery helps her off the ground.

"It is." Eve says flatly, but I can hear the sadness in her voice. Bassolo comes to my side and offers me a hand and he helps me off the floor. He hands me my crutch and I nod my head in thanks, trying to look brave but inside I'm starting to shake.

Kall gave his own life to save mine and Hayata's, and I'm going to have to live with that for the rest of my life, however long that may or may not be. After a few moments of silence the floor beneath Kall's lifeless body begins to glow and I gasp as his figure begins to sink into the floor beneath us, before disappearing all together. I can't tear my eyes away from where his body was. Blood covers the stone floor and the spear which took his life still lies there, mocking me.

It's Calvin who finally breaks the silence.

"We should keep moving." I nod but find I can't get my body to move. Every step away from where Kall died feels agonizing, and eventually Bassolo has to come to my side and wrap an arm around my shoulder to offer some support to my body. When we reach the end door our alliance comes to a complete stop, as if no one is ready to face what could be behind it.

"Everyone ready?" Seery asks.

Even if I had somehow responded no, it wouldn't have mattered. Seery pulls out a hand and twists the small handle of the door and it opens without any further help. I gasp at the sight of the room.

Gold. Shimmering and precious. It coats the small triangular room from head to toe, light bouncing off it in all directions. As we approach the center of the space I can make out a podium standing tall on the center, a sort of material draped over it.

We all run up to the podium and crowd around it, anxious to see what our final prize is.

"What is it?" Eve asks questionably as she looks at the material covering the podium. Calvin reaches out and picks up the material examining it in the light.

"I don't know, it's heavy though." Calvin notes. Bassolo tugs at my cloak suddenly and I turn to face him. He gestures to my notepad which I quickly hand over to him and he starts to write something down.

It's actually kind of nice to have someone like yourself in the games. Oddly, having Bassolo has given me some comfort, he makes me feel like I'm not such a freak for being a mute. We can relate. By now everyone has noticed Bassolo writing something and all turn to read what he has written as he holds up the notepad.

_The prize is Athena's clock of invisibility. It makes the wearer invisible to the naked eye. The hero Perseus used it many times in his quests. _

I watch Eve turn to face Calvin, a frown now covering her face. Slowly I watch Eve pull out her bow and arrows, and my alliance members drawing their own weapons, taking to either side of the small room.

"So who gets to keep the prize now. You or us."

**District 7**

**Sammy Tennant's POV**

Pain. Blinding pain. That's all I can feel in the dark nightmare I'm swimming in. Radiating from my wrists, arcing all the way down to my ankles, pricking, and paralyzing. Dark spheres of light dance around my vision, disorienting me and making me want to vomit. I bite my lip hard in an attempt to subdue the pain, and I taste blood, metallic and salty.

I immediately register that I'm lying out across the grass, one of my arms under my body, slowly getting crushed by my body's weight, all though I don't think I have the strength to move it. A cold breeze brushes over my limp body, sending chills over my entire frame.

Then I open my eyes.

Light floods my vision, signaling to me that I've either been out for a few hours.. or a whole day. A pair of dark black sandals paces in front of my eye line, and distant voices fill my ears.

"It's been nearly a day Mace! If her district partner really cared about her, wouldn't he have come looking for her now?"

"Patience Pearl, I'm sure he'll come looking for her, and when he does we can kill both of them. It's taking out two birds with one stone." I hear a low growling noise before the second voice replies.

"Fine. But if he's not here by tonight, I'm killing the girl." My body instantly tightens at the words. They're using me to get to Tucker! How could I have been so stupid and fallen into their trap. Now we are probably both going to die thanks to my stupid mistake. All I can hope for is that Tucker doesn't come looking for me, that he leaves me behind and continues on in the games. A selfish part of my brain though hopes he comes looking for me, even if it means both of us dying in the process.

A harsh cough suddenly rattles my body and immediately the voices around me dim to silence.

"Look who's awake."

The face of Pearl meets mine on the ground, a false look of sympathy etched into her wicked face.

"How 'ya feeling Sweetie?" I try my best to stare her down, but it doesn't really work when you're lying on the ground about to pass out from pain.

"Oh come now, there's no need for that look, I promised the Capitol a good show, so I'll give them one. I'm a girl of my word." She smiles sweetly and runs a hand through my brown hair, before gripping it and jerking my head up roughly by the ends. My screams fill the arena as pain fills my body, and white spots begin to dot my sight.

"That's right," I feel her breath into my ear almost drunkenly, "Scream. Scream as loud as you can. Let your ally come find you."

"Pearl, that's enough."

The pressure on my scalp is suddenly released and I fall to the ground once again, too weak to even pull myself off the floor. I squeeze my eyes tightly, trying to mentally block out the pain.

"We had a deal, you're not allowed to kill her until Tucker shows up." I can make out Mace from District 2's rough voice as he speaks to Pearl, calmly yet strongly.

"Fine."

I hear a shuffling notice and I suddenly realize my backpack is missing from my shoulder.

"Oh? Now what's this?" Pearl bends back down to my eye level, my pack in hand and waves a small leather bound book in front of my hazy eye line.

It's the Greek book.

**District 10**

**Tucker Levington's POV**

Where could Sammy be? I woke up late yesterday to find her and the hell hound missing, along with the hunting supplies and some food. My guess was that she must have gone out hunting, but she hasn't come back yet. My imagination has run wild over the past few hours, conjuring up all sorts of scenarios that would have stopped Sammy from coming back, and all of them aren't good.

At first, I thought it would be a good idea to stay in one spot, so that when Sammy did finally return, she would be able to find me. But now I know I need to take action. I scoop up the remains of our supplies and throw on the remaining backpack and begin walking towards where I know our old traps would have been set in the forest area.

Suddenly, I see something bounding towards me. The next thing I know, I'm on the arena floor, a dark figure onto of me. It's the hellhound.

"What are you doing here? Where's Sammy?" I push the dog off my body lightly and give him a scratch behind the ear. The canine just whimpers desperately and tugs desperately at my cloak, pulling me forward.

"What is it boy? Where's Sammy?"

That's when I hear the scream.

"Sammy!"

I take off in the direction of her voice, the hellhound hot on my heals. I'm coming Sammy.

**District 8**

**Lucy Gray's POV**

I wonder what's wrong with Rochelle?

She's not acting like how I thought I knew her. She would barely let Hale near her the day we met up, and still, she doesn't like him getting too close. She finally let him take a look at the boo boo on her head this morning, but she looks so pale that I'm not sure whether she's ok or not.

I let out a soft sigh and pull my small body off from the log I was sitting on. Hale went out a few hours ago to look for herbs for Rochelle. She's been sleeping a lot lately, she's still asleep now, her breathing labored and shallow. I'm worried about her, but what can I do?

Maybe I could should go look for Hale, help him find something to make Rochelle all better. Quietly, making sure I don't wake Rochelle, I leave our small camp area and take off into the woods. I know Hale told me not to leave the area but I'm sure he won't mind if it means finding something to help Rochelle. Hale told me that she's our friend now, and not the careers anymore. I'm kind of glad, the career people always seemed so mean and tough. None of them ever wanted to play games with me, and they always seemed to ignore me.

I don't mind though. I like our new friend Rochelle a lot. I remember she saved me from the big bad man from District 7 a few days ago when he attacked me. I wonder when we can leave this place? Hale told me it would only be a few days more until I could go back home to Daddy, that soon it would all be over. When I told him I wanted to come live with him after we left this place, Hale went very quiet and he looked really sad. Did I say something wrong?

I make my way quietly through the overgrown forest area, all the while trying to remember the way back to our small campsite. It's hard though, I find myself getting constantly distracted by all the pretty things surrounding me. Bright blue birds sing in the distance, and I find myself humming along after a while. I can't see them, but I know they're here somewhere. Maybe they're sitting up the top of those big trees. This would be such a good place to play hide and seek with Hale. I could climb up one of these trees, and he would never be able to find me!

I come to a stop suddenly as I see a figure emerging from the trees in front of me. My face immediately breaks out into a smile and I rush over to the familiar figure.

"Hale! I found you!" I tackle him in a hug which almost bowls him over and bury my face into his shirt. He doesn't say anything back, only stands there, a confused smirk on his face.

"Please don't be mad," I whisper into his shirt, my words becoming muffled by the fabric, "I just wanted to help Rochelle, so I went out looking for you so that I could help you." I lean back and look into my brothers eyes, trying to see whether he's mad at me or not.

"It's ok.. Lucy Gray. I'm not mad at all." His voice sounds a bit funny, like he's forcing himself to speak that way, but I guess that must be because he's been walking for the past few hours and must be tired. I giggle slightly at the way he says my name.

"That's good," I giggle, "Hale Gray."

**District 10**

**Rochelle Hunter's POV**

"HELP!"

My eyes fly open at the sound of Lucy's desperate scream. I find myself lying on the soft grass of the arena floor. I don't really remember falling asleep, but then again, lately I haven't been remembering much of anything. I force myself off the ground and take off in the sound of the District 8 girl's voice. Where's Hale? Shouldn't he be with Lucy? Despite the sharp pain in my head, I push myself to run faster, I have to find Lucy before it's too late.

I continue to run through the forest, following the cries and screams of Lucy's voice through the arena floor. If something happens to her, I think I will kill myself. I promised Hale I would keep her safe, right from the very beginning, and I'll be damned if I don't keep that promise to the very end.

Her voice is getting louder now. Either the volume of her screams have increased, or I have gotten closer to her current location. I'm hoping it is the latter, because my mind is quickly flooding with reasons why she could be screaming. Poison, a mutt.. another tribute.

I practically throw myself through the last line of trees blocking me from Lucy, shoving away branches but not stopping long enough to fully push them out of my way. I find myself squinting to readjust to the new light.

I'm definitely not prepared for what I see.

Lucy is sprawled out in the dirt, not moving. At first I'm afraid she's dead, but then her eyes flick open and I can swallow my worry. A dark figure is looming over her, a sword in one hand. His face is shrouded by shadows, but as he turns around, I can immediately tell who it is, and it makes my heart practically stop.

Hale.

At first, I just stand there, my arms dropped to my side, unable to register what I am seeing. It's definitely Hale. I would recognize those blue eyes anywhere. Breathing suddenly becomes hard, and I have to count to 5 before I take action. It's only when I see him stroll up to his sister and raise his sword that my body finally responses and connects with my brain.

"Get away from her!"

I tear through the grass and before I know what I'm doing, I've tackled Hale down to the ground and taken a place in front of Lucy, shielding her body with my own.

"Hale what are you doing? She's your sister!" I practically scream the words. How could he betray his own sister? How could he betray me?

The man that I no longer want to call Hale pulls himself from the ground and casually dusts off the dirt from his shorts, as if he wasn't just about to kill his own sister. His loud chuckle startles me and I have to force myself not to let the tears forming in my eyes fall.

"Oh? So you want to die to? Well I'll have to see what I can do about that." His smile is so unlike any of Hale's. He takes a step forward but I hold my ground, desperate to defend Lucy.

"Let me tell you a secret girl," Hale smiles and begins to swing his sword around casually, as if it were a tree branch, not a deadly weapon that could kill me and Lucy in 2 seconds flat. "I never loved you. I was just using you. With you out of the way, I knew there would be someone looking out for me, protecting me. Then when the time was just right, I could just kill you off. Easy. As. Blinking."

I feel my legs turn to jelly underneath my at his words, and it suddenly takes all my strength just to keep myself standing. Hale... Hale was just using me? All this time, I thought we felt the same way, the times I spent wishing I could do more to help him.. everything he said to me… was a lie.

The first punch to my face comes and I don't even have time to react. Suddenly, I find myself back on the arena floor, the man I thought I could trust looming over me, a now wicked smile on his face. Lucy lies next to me, sobbing quietly as both our ends draw near.

I squeeze my eyes tightly shut. I don't want to see Hale's face anymore. I don't want to see what he's become, or always was. A wicked, twisted man who just used me to protect himself.

"Goodbye Rochelle, thanks for all of your help."

I don't feel the sword penetrate into my skin. My eyes flick open and I see Hale being tackled to the arena floor by another tribute. It's not Lucy, she's still lying next to me. I pull myself off the ground once more and stare at what is unfolding right in front of my very eyes.

"Hale?"

**District 1**

**Hale Gray's POV**

I'm fighting myself.. if that makes any sense to anyone. I was walking in the woods trying to find herbs for Rochelle's wound, and then I heard Lucy screaming. I took off in the direction of her screams and when I found her, I couldn't quite understand what I was seeing. It was me, well obviously not me me, standing over Lucy and Rochelle ready to kill them both. I didn't have time to think, I grabbed my sword and tackled the thing to the ground, and so here we are now.

I scramble off the floor and ready my sword to fight. The other me snarled and grabbed its own sword, mimicking my fight stance perfectly.

"Who are you?" I question sternly. The thing just chuckles and I'm taken back by how much it sounds like me.

"Why, I'm Hale Gray. Who are you?"

"Hale Gray."

I throw my sword at the creature and hear the clang of metal as our weapons make contact. Quickly I withdraw my sword and take a few steps back towards Rochelle and Lucy. I have to protect them against this thing. Rochelle comes to stand at my side and we ready ourselves for the next attack.

"You ok?" I can't hide the concern from my voice.

"I've had better days to be honest." I smile a little at the comment but quickly turn my attention back to the fight at hand. The thing that looks like me attacks once more, and this time I don't have time to dodge it.

Sharp pain erupts in my stomach as the sword makes contact with my flesh and I stumble to the ground, light flooding my vision. I can only sit and watch as Rochelle takes on the duplicate of me. She's a good fighter, especially considering she's wounded, and she manages to hold the thing off long enough for Lucy to scramble away from the fight scene and to my side.

"Hale? What's happening?" Her innocent voice cuts deep into my heart and I force a smile through gritted teeth.

"It's going to be ok, now help me up." I feel Lucy's small hands around my waist as she makes an effort to pick me up off the ground and to my feet. I sway slightly as the pain begins to spread across by body, but I force it away. I have to help Rochelle.

"Lucy, stay here, ok?" I whisper into her ear. I watch her nod and I grab my sword and take to Rochelle's side to fight the mutt.

I sidestep a lunge from the mutt and make a switch to the things back. Even though it's not actually me, it seems to have all my fighting experience and technique. That's how I'll take it down. I know my own weakness.

"Rochelle, stay on the things left, it has a weak knee and can't dodge as fast on that side!" She gives me a funny look but obeys and we swiftly find ourselves back to back on the mutt's left hand side.

"How do you know that?"

"Because it's me."

I dodge a swipe from Hale Number 2's sword and throw my own weapon as hard as I can into the mutt's knee. It screams out and collapses on the floor, and I take that opportunity to slash at the mutt's neck. Green liquid oozes from its neck as it lets out a much less than human scream and falls to the ground. I watch is disintegrating before my very eyes, fading into nothingness and leaving no trace of its self behind.

"It was a mutt." Rochelle notes quietly beside me, "I guess it's dead now though."

I nod my head slowly, but my mind isn't working as fast as I want it to. Everything feels like it's slowing down, before completely stopping.

"Oh." Is all I can reply before I collapse to the ground.

**District 10**

**Rochelle Hunter's POV**

"Hale!"

I practically scream and drop to the ground next to the District 1 man. I roll Hale's body over carefully and prop him up against a tree so that he is in a sort of sitting up position, and examine the wound I know he's sustained. I draw in a harsh breath as I get a look at the rough gash across his stomach. Red liquid seeps out of the gash and I have to stop myself from vomiting at the sight. Quickly I strip of my cloak and apply pressure to the deep wound, hoping to do something to stop the bleeding. Hale sucks in a ragged breath as I add compression to the wound. I must be hurting him, but all I can think about is stopping the mass of blood that is currently pouring out of his wound. I try and recall the information I learnt in the training center about first aid about deep wounds, but I struggle to recall even the simplest information. He's not allowed to die.. not now.

I rip my cloak in half and wind half of the fabric around his stomach to add more pressure, knotting it at the side to free my hands. I then grab the other piece of fabric and fold it into a square before returning to add pressure to the gash, hoping that now with double the material I can stop the bleeding. Hale just stares at me the whole time, his already pale face growing more and more pale every passing minute.

"It's not that bad of a wound." I lie to him, trying to hide the concern that is creeping into my voice. Hale's soft almost inaudible chuckle catches me off guard.

"Has anyone told you you're the worst liar in the world?" His half-closed eyes meet my despite ones and he runs a soft hand down my face.

"I know I'm dying Rochelle, there's no need to lie about it." He says it in such a matter of face tone that instead of comforting me, it scares me even more. It's like he's given up on living all together.

Then I remember, he has already given up on living. He gave up on life when he volunteered to enter the Hunger Games to protect Lucy. He knew straight away he was going to die… he was prepared for this moment all along.

I shake my head furiously and press the cotton material harder onto his stomach.

"No! no. You're not allowed to die." I argue desperately, "I've lost too many allies in this arena. Too many of the people I love have left me, I'm not losing you too." There's a pause before Hale replies, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"..You love me?" I stare at Hale with widened eyes at the words that just came out of my mouth.

"I.. I mean-"

"Because I love you."

He leans up and before I know what is happening, I find Hale's lips brushing softly against my own. I feel my eyes widen with shock, before closing and relaxing if only for a second. His skin feels soft and warm against my own, and I allow myself to close my eyes and sink into the kiss. I feel safe in his arms, and I realize now that I don't know what I would be able to do without him. As fast as it began, the kiss ends just as quickly. I feel Hale softly pulling away, a hand running through my tasseled hair and down my cheek. Tears rise to my eyes and drip off my face as I watch Hale die in my arms. His own blood matters my hands and clothing, an image I know I will never be able to unburn from my mind for the rest of my life.

"Please," I beg softly, gripping his hand tighter as I watch his eyes begin to close, "Please don't leave me, I don't want to do this alone." My next sentence becomes caught in my throat as I try and form the words in my mouth. "I.. I don't know what I'll do without you."

"You'll keep going." The District 1 man whispers softly, "Promise me you will stay alive. Protect Lucy, and stay alive." I nod my head and a small smile spreads across his pale face, and I grip his hand even tighter as I watch the electric blue of his eyes fade into nothingness. I burry my head in his hair and allow my tears to fall freely onto his body. My sobs follow, echoing out through the arena floor. I don't care if anyone hears anymore.

"I promise."

D1: Jessica Rose- killed on Day 3 by Calvin and Seery  
><strong>D2: Mace Stranol- in Greek ruins, knife wound in thigh<br>****D2: Pearl Chrysler- in Greek ruins, Greek Book in possession, cuts and bruises on body  
><strong>D5: Dylan DiMarco- killed in bloodbath by Jess  
><strong>D11: Pomona Carver- in Greek ruins, cuts and bruises on body<br>****D7: Sammy Tennant- captured by careers, cuts on cheek and arms and poison wounds. **

**D10: Tucker Levington- searching for Sammy, with baby hellhound, bruises all over body**

**D3 : Eve Cane- about to fight anti careers, small burns and rope wounds  
><strong>**D3 : Bassolo Thomas- about to fight anti careers, voice lost and rope wounds**

**D4: Calvin Wilson- ****about to fight District 3 pair****, Greek Book in possession, knife wounds on arms  
><strong>**D4: Seery Janeston-**** about to fight District 3 pair****, knife wounds across body, injured arm  
><strong>D7: Bramble Malcome – killed in bloodbath by Rochelle  
>D9: Kall Roswell- killed on Day 6 by a spear in Gamemaker's trap<br>**D9: Monalisa Ryna- about to fight District 3 pair, clock of invisibility in possession, broken leg, gash on arm  
><strong>D12: Alex Jackson- killed on Day 3 by Jess  
><strong>D12: Hayata Dise- <strong>**about to fight District 3 pair****, cuts on arm**

D1: Hale Gray – killed on Day 6 by Greek Proteus Mutt  
><strong>D8: Lucy Gray-<strong> **in forest clearing, grazes on knees, bruises across body  
><strong>**D10: Rochelle Hunter- in forest clearing, head wound and cuts.**

D8: Chiffon Burrel- killed in bloodbath by Hale  
>D11 : Hachet Gennard- killed in bloodbath by Pearl<p>

D6 : Aurora Nevet- killed on Day 2 by Sybil  
>D6 : Zero Godwin- killed in bloodbath by Jess<p>

D5 : Sybil Holloway- killed on Day 2 by Rochelle


	16. Day 7: Blood

**District 9**

**Monalisa Ryna's POV**

"So who gets the prize now, you, or us."

All hell breaks lose in a matter of seconds. Weapons are drawn by both sides and my blood freezes. I watch Eve draw out her bow and string a single arrow and aim it directly at the closest person, which just happens to be Hayata. Instead of flinching, Hayata simply adjusts the aim of her own bow towards Eve's heart. I'm not sure which of them is the better marksmen, and in all honesty I don't really want to find out.

"Just let us take the prize, and no one will get hurt." Eve growls. It's amazing how quickly her personality changes. Whenever she's around anyone besides Bassolo, ice walls seem to be thrown up around her soul, making her a cold and quick to snap character. But when she is alone with Bassolo, I can see a warmer protective side to her, it's like she see's him as a little brother or something. Maybe he reminds her of home.

"You're in no position to be negotiating," Calvin points out in a calm matter, despite the tense air, "There is two of you, and four of us."

"Watch me." And then her arrow soars through the air.

"Hayata!"

Without thinking, I throw my body, crutch and all in front of my ally, shielding her momentarily as the thin weapon glides towards her. Later I would think back to this moment and wonder why I did such a thing. Maybe it was because I felt like I owed her in someway, which in hindsight is probably a dumb thing to think. This is the Hunger Games, no one owes anyone anything. Not if you want to stay alive. But then again, she did save my life, fix me up and let me join her alliance. Yeah, I did owe her.

I can practically feel the arrow sink into my skin. My body falls to the ground with a soft thud, and I don't move for a few seconds in shock. With fear filled eyes I cast a look down at the wound and I have to stop the wave of nausea that flows through my veins. Gently, trying hard not to look at it, I grasp at the arrow and pull it out from my flesh, wincing at the pain the motion causes. I know straight away I'm a goner.

"Monalisa!" I hear the sound of Hayata's voice and try and turn to face her general direction. The fight around us still continues, but now it's just two on two. Seery versing Eve, and Calvin taking on Bassolo. I want to beg with Calvin not to kill Bassolo. He may be the enemy, but he's also become my friend. We relate, one way or the other. But now is not the time to be making demands like that.

Hayata's at my side almost instantly, surveying the damage caused by the arrow. I can see her trying to swallow her worry, failing miserably as she sees the blood.

"It- it's really not that bad. Nothing a little medicine won't fix." What I know she won't admit though is that we don't have the medicine required to fix it. She helps me into a sitting position and I grab my note pad out from my cloak. Despite the battle going on around us, I quickly scrawl a few words on the pad.

_Where's the cloak?_

I catch the hint of a smile ghost Hayata's face and discretely she draws a hand into her own cloak and pulls out enough of the shimmering fabric for me to see. As if to confirm my suspicions, I cast a glance back at the middle of the room, and sure enough, the podium stands empty.

"No one noticed. They were to busy fighting to the death." She nods over to Calvin and Seery, still engaged in battle.

"Hayata? A little help please!" I hear Seery call desperately. I quickly make a grab for my crutch and cross bow but Hayata places a firm hand on my shoulder.

"Wait." I see fire burning behind her eyes, a fierceness that I've never seen before in her shining through. "Just stop and think about this for a second."

I want to argue with her that we don't have a second, that our allies need out help, but Hayata continues to speak in a hushed tone.

"They wouldn't notice. We could sneak by, under the cloak. We have enough supplies to keep us for at least another few days. You're hurt and you wont be able to last this battle. We could make it, together."

I am immediately about to write _no. _How can she think, let alone suggest that? It's crazy, diabolical and cruel. Then I remember. These are the Hunger Games. You don't get points for being nice.

Hayata's my ally. My friend. She saved my life, and the one thing I can do now is repay her for what she's done by going along with her plan. I quickly write out my reply, before I can second-guess my decision.

_Ok. _

I watch Hayata's face break out into a small smile, which is quickly replaced with a look of determination.

"Ok."

Casting one more glance over at our now non existence allies, she draws out the glowing material from her cloak and drapes it around both of us. One moment I am shrouded from the world by deep red fabric, the next I am blinded by a flash of light, causing me to throw my hands out in front of my face in an attempt to shield myself from the light. When I finally open my eyes, I suppress a gasp.

The material is still there. I can feel it's weight on top of me and I can still make out the small creases in the fabric as it drapes over both Hayata and I. But it's like it's been replaced with a completely clear material that somehow shrouds us from the sight of others. I can still see the battle going on around us, as if the fabric wasn't even there. Experimentally, I draw a hand covered with fabric up to my face.

I can't see it.

The gift actually works. To be honest I was half expecting the game makers to make a fake prize, and just have the tributes fight over the piece of cloth, only to find out it was worthless. Maybe I'm becoming too capitol minded. Maybe even they have limits.

"Ready?" I tilt my head to meet Hayata's eyes and I nod with more confidence than I've felt for a long while. From now on it's just me and her, and somehow I think we might be able to make it.

Gripping the crutch tightly in one hand, we take our first step in synchronization away from the battle, but then a stab of searing white hot pain erupts from my stomach and I look down to see the white of my shirt stained with blood. That arrow did more damage than I thought. I cast my eyes over to Hayata whose eyes are examining the wound, a flicker of fear reflecting in the orbs.

"Just hang on, I can patch that up once we get out of here." It takes more effort than I would like just to nod my head.

Slowly with cautious steps, we creep towards the entrance door, all the while very aware of the constant battle going on between the two pairs of allies.

"Where the hell did Monalisa and Hayata go?" I hear Calvin grunt. I tilt my head towards the District 4 man in time to see him deflect Eve's lunge and going in for a stab. She dodges gracefully and backs up to where the podium stands. It's only a matter of time before they realize we stole the cloak. Only a matter of time before all four of them come after us.

Every step is painful, but I force myself to match Hayata's footsteps. Soon enough, we are out of the room and into the narrow hallway we walked down just before. I see the remains of the trip wire Hayata triggered. Kall died right in this very room, back when we were in an alliance. I can't help thinking that this isn't what he would have wanted.

I see Hayata take a deep breath, drawing back tears as she remembers how Kall sacrificed his life for the two of us, before she quickly pulls the cloak off our two bodies.

"We should be safe now," She says, her words slightly slurring together as she rushes through the sentence, "But we have to keep moving, fast!"

She stuffs the cloth back into her cloak, and proceeds in all but dragging me through the temple. The pain in my stomach only seems to intensify the more we run, and by the time we emerge from the temple, I'm gasping for breath.

I keep running though. We run and we run. And then, just as I think I can't run anymore, I collapse on the grass.

The pain is excruciating, like a thousand little devils pocking at my side with tiny pitchforks. My eyes find the sky, and I realize I am lying on my back. Weird, since I don't remember falling. The grass beneath me is so soft, just like my bed back home. I bet if I closed my eyes, I would be able to fall asleep in a matter of seconds.

I can now only vaguely hear Hayata's voice in the background.

"Monalisa, please stay with me! Just hold on!" I feel her put pressure on the wound, and I let out a small inaudible gasp in pain. Out of the corner of my eyes, I see Hayata draw up blood soaked hands. I think there are tears in her eyes, but honestly my vision has gone so blurry now that I can't tell left from right.

I hope she wins, Hayata. She deserves to. She's lost so much here. Surely the Capitol will take pity on her. But then again, everyone in this arena has lost something, someone. Our family, friends, our own identities. And now I realize. The Capitol have no limits.

And then I feel my eyes close.

**District 10**

**Tucker Levington's POV**

I can hear the shouting; can hear the cries of pain as something was slammed against something repeatedly. Not something, _someone. _I feel the grip on my knife tighten instantly. The hellhound, who had somehow stayed loyal all this time despite being a capitol creation matches my strides as I sprint across the arena.

I can make out a coliseum rising in the distance, marble columns glisten in the sun and reflect back the gold rays, sending beams everywhere like a lighthouse. It's not until I get closer that I can make out the sound of the terror filled screams that rebound off my skull.

Sammy.

I let the hell hound guide me now as we reach the framed entrance of the partially collapsed building. Darkness begins to cover us as we race through the black corridors, the sound of two legs and four paws echoing loudly across the walls. _Please, please, please, _I beg internally to whatever gods I can think of, _please let her be ok. _

I'm honestly not sure what to expect when I see the square beam of light ahead as we turn what I presume to be the final corner in this maze of marble. I hear another thud echo across the marble, and wince. I can make out another voice the closer we get, female, etched with venom. I feel my heartbeat pick up and I have to force myself to breath steady as I pause by the opening, gauging myself for the battle I am sure will follow. And suddenly, I can make out the person's words with sickeningly clarity.

"Where did you get this book?"

And then I'm running. I emerge from the structure into sunlight, the hellhound hot on my heels, snarling now at the sight before us. Light blinds my eyes momentarily and it takes a split second for them to adjust, but when they do, I instantly wish they hadn't. I wish I had stayed blinded and in the darkness the rest of my life. The sight before me is enough to make me feel sick.

A man and two girls stand, one with their back to me crouching down, golden blonde hair looking as silky as the day she entered the area. But her hands are slick with blood, and holding up by the neck, the lifeless form of-

"Let her go!" Before I know what I am doing, I throw myself against the nearest career, which just happened to be Mace. I force the knife into his arm and push him towards the ground, scrambling backwards just in time to avoid a gash to the head from his mace.

"I knew you would come." I see the District 11 girl, Pomona, now approach me, and I begin to comprehend what kind of a situation I am in. There are three of them, and one of me, and somehow I have to get Sammy out of her alive.

There is a moment of stillness as I see Peal register my presence, releasing the dead weight in her grasp, which falls to the ground in a sad crumped heap. My eyes fixate on Sammy, the cuts and bruises sustained stand out against her now pale and fragile looking body. This is not the Sammy I knew two days ago. The Sammy who was so lively, who begged me not to kill two tributes, who forced me to let her keep that stupid hellhound. The hellhound which has now probably just saved her life. Her eyes are still open, the green orbs that used to be her eyes now look grey and lifeless.

I try and meet her eyes, but they don't seem to be even looking my way. Glazed over, I wonder if she can even see anything. The knife begins to shake in my hands. _No, no._ It's to much like the first time, to much like when my father was murdered. The blood stains across the area floor, his body just lying there in the barn back in District 10. Nobody tried to help, nobody. _It's not going to be like that this time. _

Slowly, Pearl turns to face me, and realize just how doomed I am. But I knew I was, and all that really matters now is saving Sammy. Because I wasn't there to save my father. Pearl takes another step towards me, falling in line with Pomona and Mace, who is now clutching one arm in agony. Good, I hope it bloody well gets infected.

Pearl is the first to make a move. Whip in hand, she cracks it directly at my feet, forcing me to stumble back a few steps. In that very same moment I feel a fist collide with my solar plexus and double over, only to find the palm of the very same hand slam into my nose. This time it's Pomona who approaches me, a deadly throwing knife in her hand.

"This should be fun."

When she hurtles it at me, it's all I can do to throw myself to the ground and pray that I dodge it. I see the knife sink into the ground two inches from my face. I throw myself back onto my feet and ready the knife in my hands. The careers now circle me, carefully keeping me away from Sammy's body, but making sure she is constantly in my sight, tormenting me.

Just as I am about to make my first and what I assume will be my final move I feel the ground beneath me shift. I watch all 3 careers fall to their knees and I quickly find myself having to do the same to stabilize myself. The ground shakes underneath us like an earthquake but then, just to the left of me, the ground crumbles away, and a creature rises from the pit, and it's possibly the scariest thing I've ever seen in my life.

**District 2**

**Mace Stranol's POV **

"What the hell is that?"

A creature I've never seen before begins to rise from the crack in the earth, and I try and force myself away. But the only thing I can do is stare into its eyes. Blue, fixating, dazzling blue. It looks almost human, yet its body seems to be made from shadows, and it's huge. Every time I find my eyes looking at it, all I feel is fear, radiating across my body.

"Mace don't look into it's eyes!" I hear Pearl scream. I obey, as much as I can, yet I frequently find my eyes drawn to the creatures own, as if it were pulling me towards it. And every time I meet it's blue eyes, a course of terror seems to ark through me.

Tucker and Sammy are still here, there is still a fight to do. Somehow I get the feeling the Capitol doesn't want this fight, but it doesn't matter. It's going to happen, one way or another.

I narrowly dodge the shadows arm as it swings it in my direction and race towards Tucker, who is still on the ground. He scrambles up just in time to avoid being trodden on from the shadow and begins to run towards me, knife in hand.

We meet midway and I make a swing for him with my Mace, which manages to cut him across his knife arm. He withdrawals slightly at the contact and I use this moment to bring the heel of my Mace to his stomach, effectively winding him. I glance around to Pearl and Pomona, but they seem to be pretty occupied with the mutt. Pearl would draw it's attention with a few cracks of the whip to the thing's legs, and when it was distracted, Pomona would launch herself and leave a gash on it's stomach. I think she's trying to aim for it's heart, but she seems to be missing every time.

That leaves Tucker to me. As soon as he's found his footing, he charges at me again, and again I strike him away with a swing of my mace. I can tell he doesn't really want to fight me, he just wants to get to Sammy, who I know is behind me. That's not going to happen.

Finally he seems to gauge that he will just have to fight me, and readies his knife. Once again, he charges towards me, but this time doesn't stop. The brute force of his body colliding with mine is enough to bring me to the ground. I grab at the man's ankle as I fall, which effectively brings him down with me. I feel my mace leave my hand just as I hear the clank of metal which tells me that Tucker has dropped his own weapon too. A quick glance to my left shows both weapons lying on the grass, side by side.

We both scramble towards the weapons, pushing and shoving at each other. I gather myself and force the heel of my foot into his side. I hear him grunt in pain and with one hand I make a reach of my mace and feel the cold metal meet my grasp.

I turn my body 180 degrees and throw myself back onto Tucker's back. Grabbing the chain of my mace as fast as I can, and wrap it around the District 10 man's thick neck. He lets out a howl of pain as the chain begins to bite into his neck, but it only makes me tighten my grip. He thrashes about trying to shake me off, clawing at the chain desperate for air. He reaches up behind me and begins throwing backwards punches into my skull, effectively making me release my grip on the chain.

We break apart, each taking a good few steps away from each other. His knife still lies to the left of me, and I know that there is no way he can possibly get it now.

Time to finish this off.

Twirling the mace in my hand, I close the distance between us. Still regaining his breath, he is unable to dodge and I force the weapon into his side. The spikes dig into his skin and he is thrown back several feet from the impact.

I stand above his crumpled figure, expecting him to be dead and laugh. Weak. That's what he is, weak. I'll finish him off nicely, make his death quick. I draw up the handle of my weapon, ready to bring it down on my victims head when-

"Mace look out!"

I feel something slam into my side and suddenly I am flying through the air, only to find myself collide with the ground a few seconds later with a thud. Pain erupts throughout me and distantly I realize that I must have been hit by the shadow creature. It takes several moments before I find the energy to pull myself off the floor, and even then I feel as if all the will power and hope was sucked out of me when that mutt touched me.

Glancing around I realize that I was thrown several feet from where I was fighting with Tucker. It takes me a few seconds to locate the man amongst the battle around me. He's reached Sammy, is cradling her limp body in his arms, and is making a get away.

"Mace stop him!" hear Pearl cry with outrage. They are still taking on the mutt, slowly weakening it but it continues to strike out with vengeance at my two allies.

I move chase after the District 10 man but before I make it 10 feet a midnight creature slams into me from behind and throws me to the ground growling. I turn to make out the dog creature that was with Tucker when he found us. I guess he had a pet.

"I don't have time for you." I growl and grab the knife that Tucker left behind from the grass and plunge it into the mutt. It lets out a cry of pain as I withdraw the knife, only to stab it back into it between the eyes. It collapses on top of me and it takes a lot of force to get it off me.

By the time I'm off the ground, I realize Tucker has escaped with Sammy. Pearl is going to kill me.

I turn as I hear a roar of pain and watch as Pomona finally brings down the mutt with a final blow with her knife. It sinks back into the ground like liquid and the hole closes up around us. All is suddenly silent. I watch Pearl glance around with mad eyes before meeting mine.

"Where the hell is she!"

**District 10**

**Tucker Levington's POV**

If anyone asks, it was all worth it. Gritting my teeth as I secure Sammy in my arms, I continue to force myself across the arena, trying to get as far away from the horrors behind us as possible. Sammy lies limp in my arms, her head tilted towards my chest and one arm hanging loosely at her side, the other tucked up against my body. Her eyes are closed and that possibly scares me even more than what I just experienced.

I keep moving, not for my own sake, but for Sammy's. The further I can get her from those monsters, the better. My legs feel like lead underneath me, the pain in my side growing every second. I need to keep going if I'm going to keep Sammy safe.

Finally, after what seems like hours, I can go on no more. With a final cry of pain I feel my legs give way, my knees buckling underneath me and I feel myself falling towards the arena floor. Sammy's body falls from my grasp and rolls across from mine, settling in the long grass bedding.

With barely enough strength, I manage to extend one arm out from my place on the ground and press it softly to her bruised neck, searching desperately for a pulse. It's there, weak, erratic, but still there.

"Come on Sammy, wake up please?" I softly beg.

And then I see it. The soft twitch as her eyes begin to part, and I can make out the brilliant green orbs underneath. It's the best sight in the world.

"Hey" I smile weakly and draw a hand through her hair. She flinches away at first, as if expecting pain, but relaxes when she realizes none is coming. Her eyes find mine, and I see her searching them, looking for familiarity. Finally she seems to find it.

"T-Tucker." She manages. I watch her gaze fall down to my abdomen, "You're.. you're bleeding." She begins to mumble something and I have to strain myself to hear it properly. My heart shatter into a million pieces when I finally hear what she is saying.

"I'm s-so sorry, all.. my fault." Tears now streak her eyes.

"For what? There's nothing to be sorry for." I smile at her through pain-streaked eyes. I have to close them as I feel the pain in my abdomen grow, but it doesn't matter now. I saved her. I was there for her.

"Pl-please don't go" I hear her plead, her voice sounds hoarse from screaming. I want to stay, I want to stay so bad. She still needs my help. She's lying there, dying, and yet she is still somehow worried about me. I can feel my soul escaping from my body, being lifted from my dying corpse up towards the heavens.

"If I could stay, I would," I whisper, "I'm sorry I can't do more." I don't want to go. I could do so much more. So much more, if only I could stay a little longer. And then my eyes close, and I feel myself leave Sammy and the earth behind.

**District 3 **

**Eve Cain's POV**

"Where the hell did Monalisa and Hayata go?" I ignore the District 4 man's question and lunge at his legs with my knife, in an attempt to unbalance him. He quickly meets my knife with a trident and I stumble back slightly at the force of impact.

And then my eyes settle on the empty podium.

"What the hell?" Is the first thing that emerges from my lips. And then two and two come together. Hayata and Monalisa are gone, and so is the cloak of invisibility. I smile despite myself, those two are craftier than they look. But now they have the prize. Our prize.

"What's so funny?" the District 4 girl demands. She's at Calvin's side now that the fighting has stopped abruptly, and I find Bassolo by mine. I can see the entrance door in the corner of my eye. It's so close, if we just moved slightly more to the left, we could make a get away and avoid a full on fight with the pair from District 4.

"Oh, it's just that in the midst of all this," I stall, discreetly gripping the back of Bassolo's t-shirt and carefully guiding him two steps to the left. He catches on immediately and follows my lead. "You don't seem to have realized that two of your allies completely ditched," I pause, allowing the pair to gauge this, and to take three more steps to the left. The entrance door is now right behind us, the podium standing behind Calvin and Seery. "And that the prize that we've all worked so hard for… is no longer on the podium."

In the split second it takes for Calvin and Seery to rapidly turn back to the podium to confirm what I've just said, Bassolo and I take off running. We throw ourselves through the hall and down the rope, quickly finding the rooms below reset to their normal position, so there are no longer trap doors or sliding walls. Perfect for a get away.

I can hear Calvin and Seery behind us, but I'm pretty sure they aren't after us. They're after the traitors who left them with no prize. Either way, Bassolo and I run and don't stop. We run side by side down the golden corridors, taking random turns left and right, in hope that we are going the right way. I desperately try and remember the path we took to get in, and it pays off as we turn a corner and I see a rectangle of light indicating the entrance way to the outside world.

It's not until we burst through the same opening of the temple that we entered that I risk a look back. I can't even see the pair anymore, but I can hear their footsteps. We race across the field of grass at the entrance, and I am about to suggest that we run back to our old campsite at the hidden garden that we found on Day 1, when Bassolo comes to a complete stop, bringing me to a stop along side him.

"Bassolo, we don't have time for a rest, we need to keep moving!" I say a little to frantically. He's staring at the ground in front of him. I finally look down to see what has transfixed him so much and I see what he is staring at. Lying on the grass, as if it was dropped in a rush, is the District 9 girl's notepad. I try to ignore the fact that there are several drops of what look like blood on the cover.

Tears seem to be brimming in Bassolo's eyes as he picks up the notepad carefully, before tucking it into his cloak. His eyes meet mine and I see something flash in them for just a moment. Hate. I don't get a chance to say anything however, as I hear the District 4 tributes emerge from the temple. I grab Bassolo's hand once more and practically pull him along with me.

We keep running. We pass a Greek coliseum in the distance, but I don't think it would be a good place to rest, so we keep moving. We pass by a wide river, and begin to follow it up stream towards the large lake, which I know is at the center of the arena.

"Just a little more!" I scream out to Bassolo, practically dragging him by the arm as we sprint. I guess the Game Makers didn't want us dead just yet, otherwise they would have made sure we fought them. That means one of two things. They either are going soft on us, which is highly unlikely. Or, they are planning something big, and they want as many tributes alive as possible. As much as I don't like the second idea, it sounds the most probable.

I can see a small stream up ahead that breaks away from the main river. Trees and moss conceal it, so it would be the perfect place to hide.

"Over there." I point to the stream for Bassolo and finally release his small hand from my grip. We reach the edge of the steam and I smile. Safety, sanctuary. Bassolo and I should be safe here, at least for now. I let out a shaky laugh and practically collapse into the stream, clothes, bag, bow and all.

"Bassolo come on in the water's amazing!" I call with a laugh. My district partner remains unmoving by the streams edge. His face looks pained, like he's contemplating something in his mind. I emerge from the river and move to his side.

Before I have a chance to say anything, I hear the tune of the Capitol play and I realize that it's time for the deaths. I didn't realize it was dusk already.

The first face I see answers all my questions about how Bassolo's been acting. It's Monalisa. I guess I didn't realize how close the two got during our alliance with the anti careers. I can understand it, the two of them are both mutes and are both young. It's easy to see how a friendship could have formed.

"Bassolo… I-" He turns his head away from me, tears forming. He blames me for her death. She died because of the arrow I shot, even if I wasn't aiming it at her.

I've gone and lost the trust of my only ally, and quite possibly, my only friend.

**District 12**

**Hayata Dise's POV **

This is all that stupid girl Eve's fault! I stare into Monalisa's dark green eyes and feel the tears rise to my face. First it was Alex, now Monalisa. I can hear the hove craft approaching, hear the loud engines spinning as some Capitol attendant comes to collect Monalisa's fragile body. The sane part of my mind tells me I should leave. The hovercraft will give away my location to other tributes, and no doubt others will be on their way. The morning part of me disagrees.

I want to be mad at someone, to tear someone's head off. It's all Eve's fault! She didn't need to kill Monalisa! No, wait… it's not just Eve's fault. It's Calvin's fault too! If he hadn't had so many stupid sponsors then he would have never gotten that map piece, and we would have never gone into that temple. And Monalisa… Monalisa would still be alive.

I look out to the rest of the area. A part of me just wants to give up and die. But then I remember Eve. The look on her face as she took down Monalisa. I had to kill her! This was all her fault. Other tributes came to mind too. Seery had a weapon, she could have taken down Eve before she even came close to Monalisa. The careers, Jess, Mace, Pomona and Pearl. This is also there fault! They took Alex from me! Everyone in this stupid arena is guilty of something. Everyone in this arena deserves to die.

I'm going to kill them all, starting with Eve. But it wont end there. Everyone, I'll pick off every last tribute, even if it kills me. A final tribute to Monalisa and Alex. _It's what they would want, _I argue. They would want to see blood spilt in their name. Crimson, dark liquid.

And that's when I find myself running. My legs work automatically, even if I want to, I don't think I am able to stop. I start off in a wild sprint in a random direction, and for the first time, I feel free. I here a cackle like sound emit from near me, and realize that the noise is coming from me. I'm laughing, more than I think I've ever laughed before. I must sound deranged, crazy even, but I don't care anymore. I make no move to stop myself, and soon I find tears in my eyes from laughing so hard. All I care about is making Eve feel the same pain I am feeling right now.

I continue to run, laughing so loudly that the whole arena must be able to hear me. I must look like a wild animal, tearing across the arena floor. I dodge trees as I continue to sprint, pass a wide river which seems to be working off the remains from the snow. I realize that I left my bow behind with Monalisa. Oh well. It was just holding me back. At least now I'll have the opportunity to strangle Eve with my bare hands.

And that's when I see them. Footprints. Two pairs. One smaller than the other, the same size a 12 year old's foot would be. My smile grows and I take off following the footprints in the rapidly melting snow, leaving my own sandal impressions next to them.

I tear through the forest like a wild animal, laughing and forcing branches away with my hands, not caring about the ones that snap coldly against by bare legs. The pain will be a small price to pay for what will follow. They're close, I can practically _feel _it.

Maybe I've gone crazy, but I've never felt so free. Any feelings of nerves or worry or guilt have completely left my soul. All I want now, is blood.

I catch a flash of a dark red clock ahead of me and smile. The two from District 3. Just walking, holding hands… but… something doesn't feel right. I don't have time to stop though; I'm almost on them. I force my body harder than I probably should to run faster and in a split second, I'm on top of Eve, throwing her to the ground.

I hear her partner cry out but I kick the tribute away with my sandal-clad foot. This is just between Eve and I now. She struggles underneath me, but I quickly scramble on top of her, hooking my feet under her thin body and forcing her head back to look at mine. Her long dark hair is sprawled out across the ground now, and I watch as her chocolate brown eyes slowly meet mine. Finally, I can have some sort of revenge. Some sort of outlet for all the pain and grief…

Wait. Brown eyes. I slowly draw my eye line back to my prey and stare directly into her panicked eyes. Brown, not blue. Not electric blue like Eve's. Brown, like-

"Rochelle!" I tilt my head to find the twelve year old, who I can now see as Lucy Gray, the tribute from district 8 racing towards her ally. This is not Eve. It's Rochelle.

I feel another laugh bubble up in my throat and I make no move to stop it. Oh well, she's close enough. Besides, I'm sure she's guilty of something. Everyone is.

**District 11**

**Pomona Carver's POV**

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

I try and hide my smile as Pearl continues to curse and swear into the wind. Am I annoyed that the District 7 girl got away? Sure, but look on the bright side. We took down her ally, and that in it's self is a fleet.

"God Pearl just calm down, it's one tribute, I'm sure we'll find another tribute soon, and then you can have your kill or whatever." Mace smirks from his place on the grass. He's leaning against a collapsed marble pillar, casually emptying out his pack, only to pack it again two seconds later. Pearl turns on him with such a glare that could melt stone. _Finally, _I think, some action!

"Calm down? Calm down!" she snarls, readying her fists, " This is all your fault! If you had just let me kill that girl in the first place, then we wouldn't be having this problem!" Mace doesn't seem to lodge the anger in her voice, and without looking up, responds.

"Really Pearl? We all know that you were just to weak to handle her, I mean, that's what, the second time she's gotten away from you." Mace lets out a loud laugh and smirks, completely oblivious to the death glare his District partner just sent him.

"I'm sorry, what did you just say?" Pearl asks, her sweet voice sounding very forced. I notice her hands clenched in fists at her side, her knuckles quickly turning white.

" I said you're weak. You couldn't take on Tucker, and you are constantly letting that girl from 7 get away! I mean seriously how tough can one girl be?"

"I'll show you weak!" And suddenly, I am watching as the District 2 girl leaps towards Mace with huge speed. Mace is on the ground and disarmed in a millisecond, rolling across the arena floor. I have to stop myself from letting out a cold laugh. What a weakling!

Pearl is on top of him in a second, driving her foot violently into his stomach and scratching at his face like a cat. I stay in my place, several feet from where my allies are fighting to the death. Why should I intervene? Mace sends a knee into Pearl's chest, effectively getting her off his body. He scrambles up and makes a reach for his mace lying next to his pack, but Pearl is on him again, throwing him to the ground with lightning speed. The two roll on the floor and I can hear Mace's distinct grunts of pain as Pearl throws a fist into his throat, knocking the air out of him and betting him senseless. Blood lines the arena floor, half of it Mace's, half of it Pearl's. His head rolls to the side and his desperate eyes meet mine. I know what he's asking. He's asking, no, pleading for me to help him.

I just shrug.

Pearl grabs at his hair again and throws his face into the ground, laughing like a maniac at his cry of pain. The girl doesn't even seem to need weapons to kill her enemies. Mace seems to dodge her next lunge and throws his body on top of hers, but with one move Pearl is backed up and grabs Mace's arm with her own, pulling it with such force that he's back on the ground. Mace's eyes meet mine once again and finally I sigh.

Drawing one of my 7 remaining throwing knives from my belt, I flick my wrist and send it flying towards Pearl. It hits it's mark on the side of her leg and she shrieks out in pain, allowing Mace to pull himself free from her grip and scramble a safe distance from her. Smiling, I walk over to my ally's figure on the ground and kick her in the face. She screams out again and blood flies from her features. I grab her neck before she has time to react and squeeze tightly on where I know a pressure point is from training back before the games. Another scream emits from her lips before her body slackens, her frame falls to the floor, temporarily paralyzed.

I slowly drag my knife out of the wound in her knee and position myself so that I am in eye line with my ally. Tears are now falling from her eyes, salty, and somehow they make me sympathize her even less.

"I thought we were allies," She whispers almost inaudibly, " We trusted each other." My lips curve into a smile at her stupidity.

"I need an ally I can trust, not one who is going to go ballistic every time a single tribute escapes from her grasp. As long as Sammy is around, I know that's not going to happen." I pull out a clean knife from my belt and hold it to her throat.

"You used me. So it was all a lie. Everything. You pretending that we were friends, giving me that poison, making me believe that we were looking out for each other." Her voice is filled with hate, but she just looks so pathetic lying out across the arena floor that I let out a soft chuckle.

"And it took you this long to figure out." And with that, I dash the small blade across her neck.

She emits no noise, not a sound. Her cannon goes off and a hovercraft arrives immediately to take her body. Finally, I stand up. Noticing something unusual in the grass, I bend down and grasp it in my hands. A small leather bound book. The book Pearl was so anxious to understand. The book that ultimately, lead to her downfall. I let out a scoff and through it into the campfire, smirking as I watch the old pages ignite.

Slowly, I turn to my one remaining ally, helping him up half heartily from the ground with a good yank at his arm. He grimaces but instantly tries to hide it. It doesn't matter, I've already seen how weak he is. Today has done nothing but proved this.

"You know, for a second there, I thought you were actually going to let her kill me." Mace laughs nervously, nursing the quickly forming bruise on his neck. I smile my lips parting to form a slight forced grin.

"So did I." But really, it just gives me more chances to do so later.

**WEELLLL, that was a particularly morbid chapter. Sorry, if I write in a bad mood this sort of happens. BUUUT! I am back :D :D**

**I am so sorry about being away for so long, what has it been, about 3-4 months? Thank you for all of you who have been PMing me throughout this time trying to get me motivated :D and believe me, it wasn't that I chose not to write, it was that I literally didn't have the time. But now I forced myself to just sit down for 4 hours and write :D **

**Please review if you read this! Should I continue or has everyone sort of given up on me and is no one reading this I need to know so review! And next chapter is the feast :D **

**Also, I would just like to thank Acereader55 : ) seriously, I don't think I deserve an amazing reader like you. This guy has been pming me throughout the 4 months trying to get me motivated and get me to write. I love you for that, and I'm sorry I never got the chance to reply to any of your pms its mostly thanks to you that I got this chapter out! **

**Pearl- an amazing villain. I loved you!**

**Tucker- a true hero, sorry about you and your dog..**

**Monalisa- such a strong heart!**

D1: Jessica Rose- killed on Day 3 by Calvin and Seery

**D2: Mace Stranol- in Greek ruins, knife wound in thigh, lacerations on neck**

D2: Pearl Chrysler- killed on Day 7 by Pomona

D5: Dylan DiMarco- killed in bloodbath by Jess

**D11: Pomona Carver- in Greek ruins, cuts and bruises on body **

**D7: Sammy Tennant- dying near Greek ruins, cuts on cheek and arms and poison wounds. Head injury **

D10: Tucker Levington- killed on Day 7 by Mace

**D3 : Eve Cane- resting near lake, small burns and rope wounds**

**D3 : Bassolo Thomas- resting near lake, voice lost and rope wounds**

**D4: Calvin Wilson- ****leaving the golden temple****, knife wounds on arms**

**D4: Seery Janeston-**** leaving the golden temple****, cloak of invisibility in possession, knife wounds across body, injured arm **

D7: Bramble Malcome – killed in bloodbath by Rochelle

D9: Kall Roswell- killed on Day 6 by a spear in Gamemaker's trap

D12: Alex Jackson- killed on Day 3 by Jess

D9: Monalisa Ryna- killed on Day 7 by Eve

**D12: Hayata Dise- ****fighting Rochelle****, crazy and cuts on arm**

D1: Hale Gray – killed on Day 6 by Greek Proteus Mutt

**D8: Lucy Gray-** **fighting Hayata, grazes on knees, bruises across body**

**D10: Rochelle Hunter- fighting Hayata, head wound and cuts.**

D8: Chiffon Burrel- killed in bloodbath by Hale

D11 : Hachet Gennard- killed in bloodbath by Pearl

D6 : Aurora Nevet- killed on Day 2 by Sybil

D6 : Zero Godwin- killed in bloodbath by Jess

D5 : Sybil Holloway- killed on Day 2 by Rochelle


	17. Day 8: Part 1

**Head Game Maker**

**Golden's POV**

I'm sitting, just biding my time. Waiting to strike.

I promised Comet the greatest games of all time, and I am going to deliver.

I wipe a hand across my glistening forehead, most probably spreading grease and oil across my brow, but for once I don't care. Unlike past game makers, I prefer to create my inventions myself. It may take a toll on me, but the result is always exactly how I imagined it. Besides, I don't trust anyone but myself with my creations. Others will not understand them, they won't be able to feel how they feel and communicate with them the way I do, they would never understand.

The numbness setting into my legs finally forces me to stop working. I lift myself off the floor of the lab and take a step back to admire my current work. Cleaning a hand on my yellow overalls I allow a smile to take shape on my lips.

Angels. That's what they are, literally. Stone statues carved into the shape of angels. At first glance, they would never seem out of place in the arena. Simple old, worn statues. But these are no sculptures. I wired them up, and they are going to create havoc in the area. But they are not the main event. They are merely the pilot fish. Scavengers. Tiny, leading my little tributes to the big fish. And the main event is yet to come.

Satisfied with my work, I turn the lights off to the lab and take the lift back to my office on the 13th floor. I walk softly past Kirlias, and don't give her a second glance.

"Wait, excuse me miss," I turn, and stare golden daggers at my assistant.

"This better be good Kirlias."

"Um, it's just that, well," She stutters and I let out a dramatic sigh,

"Spit it out Kirlias."

"President Comet is waiting for you in your office, I tried to contact you by phone, but there was no answer. He insists with talking to you." My blood freezes. This can not be good. I glance down at my dirty yellow overalls. There's no time to change now.

Sucking in a quiet breath, I open the glass door to my office, letting the cool air brush over my exposed pale skin. President Comet sits on my desk, as cool and as calm as ever in a light blue suit, his dark red hair brushed into violent spikes. His broad stature casts a dark shadow down on me, and makes me feel even more intimidated than I already am.

"Golden." His voice fills the room, and instantly I can hear the tension in his voice.

"President Comet, what brings you here?" I press, trying to hide the nerves in my voice. Whenever the President comes, it's never with good news.

"I want what ever you've constructed, into the arena. Now." I stare at him, my face most likely conveying my emotions. He turns his head to me, expectantly.

"Did you not hear me? Now, Golden."

"But… Sir I-" I begin to reason, but he raises his hand to cut me off.

"Now. Golden, what part of the word do you not understand?"

"Sir," I try to reason with him, "They're not ready. I need at least another day to complete their circuits, otherwise-"

"Do I need to remind you that you answer to me? If I, the President, tell, no, direct you to do something, do you refuse?" I hang my head down, feeling like a child in school, being scolded by a teacher. Only this time, it's my life in the balance.

"No sir."

"Good."

With that, he simply leaves, gliding out of the room as calmly as he entered, leaving me alone once more.

Why do I fear him so much? I know that he is the president, but surely that is not what scares me. No, I decide. It's not so much the position he has, or the power that he holds over Panem, it's him. Sure, there are rumors that fly across the Capitol. He apparently killed his own wife to prevent the likelihood of children. He goes through Game Makers, Secretaries and Arena Designers faster than they can bring in new ones. It's the aura of mystery that surrounds him, and it is how he keeps control.

My angels are not ready. They will surely backfire in the arena if I send them in now. I let out a sigh. Fine. If he wants my creations in the arena, then I'll put them in, whether they are ready or not.

Making final preparations, I reach across my desk and pull open my bottom draw, revealing a small piece of paper. I delicately draw it out and hold it gingerly, reviewing the words written on it. My list of current tributes, and their deepest darkest secrets. This will give the Capitol something to talk about.

Mace Stranol- fears being unable to prove himself

Eve Cane- fears being unable to escape

Bassolo Thomas- fears the unknown

Calvin Wilson- fears for the safety of those around him

Seery Janeston- fears losing control

Sammy Tennant- fears being alone

Lucy Gray- fears being left behind

Rochelle Hunter- fears losing those close to her

Pomona Carver- fears being forgotten

Hayata Dise- fears showing her true self

If the Capitol wants a game, then I'll give them a game.

**District 2**

**Mace Stranol's POV**

"Pomona will you just slow down for a second! The tributes aren't going anywhere."

After yesterday, I feel like I've lost all the confidence (or what little confidence) Pomona had in me. I got shown up by that District 10 boy, Sammy got away and Pearl almost killed me. If it hadn't been for Pomona, I would probably be dead.

"See that's where you're wrong." Pomona stops in front of me, yet doesn't turn to face me. "The tributes are moving. They are not just going to stand and wait for us to come and kill them. And it would help if I wasn't stuck with a stuck up District 2 boy who moves at a turtles pace!" I stifle a laugh,

"You know it seems like you aren't really that keen to have me around." It's a joke, but the girl seems to take it the wrong way.

"No. I don't want you around, if it were up to me then long ago I would have left you're little 'career pack'." She spits the words at me like she doesn't believe my group was up to career pack standards, which slightly hurts, even though all of them are now dead.

"So why don't you leave?" I hiss back. If she has a problem, why is she sticking with me?

"Because I-" She suddenly stops, and I see for the first time that she is not looking directly at me.

"Because wha-" She is quick to hush me and I look at her with distaste. Who does she think she is? I'm the leader, I know what I'm doing and now she is acting like she is in charge, and is hinting that I am a burden to her!

"It's getting dark." I roll my eyes at her.

"Yes, that's what happens when day moves to night." I reply sarcastically. She shoots me a death look.

"That's not what I mean idiot, 2 seconds ago it was light, and now it's almost completely dark." I take in what she is saying, and realize she is right. Just a few minutes ago we had been walking in full light, and now I can barely make out her figure as she stands in front of me. But the thing is, I don't want to acknowledge she is right. I'm the leader. I'm always the leader. So instead, I shrug.

"So? The game makers were probably bored, want to end the day quickly so that they can get to the next." She shakes her head, and I can make out a cunning smile overtaking her face.

"No, something is about to happen."

Just as she says that, beams of bright light appear in the sky, as if someone turned on several torches above the clouds. They provide illumination in the darkness, but I can't help but feel that that isn't their main purpose.

I count them in turn. 10 beams of light. 10 tributes left in the games.

Pomona and I can only stare as figures seem to begin to descend from each beam. They look human, yet I can make out the silhouette of wings on their backs. They appear solid, like statues. They are in odd positions though. All are covering their eyes in one-way or another. Some with their hands, others with books or other objects carved into their grasp. They seem to land on the ground, dispersed across the arena floor, and I realize, one is near us. It stands, remaining still, unchanged, across the campsite from us, and I can now make out its features in better clarity.

I turn to Pomona, and catch her smiling.

"Tributes of the 46th annual Hunger Games." A voice suddenly seems to fill the arena, and I instantly recognize it as the voice of Golden, the Head Game Maker.

This cannot be good news.

"Congratulations for making it into the top 10! Now, it's time to challenge you. Across the arena, statues have been deposited. 10 to be exact. It is up to you to choose whether you face them, or whether you run away. I leave them with you, and it is up to discover their secrets. I leave all of you with one piece of advice. Don't blink."

The voice disappears, along with the light, and the arena is plunged back into complete darkness.

The first thing I register is Pomona's giggling.

"Will you stop that!" I whisper harshly, "Grab a match or something." A small flicker of light appears as I hear her strike a match, before she gently touches it to a fallen branch to create a torch.

As she directs the torch in the direction of the angel, we both freeze.

It's moved.

It stands in the same position as before, it's eyes covered, but it has definitely moved closer. I suddenly feel like I am in a horror movie. Pomona turns to me, directing the torch back at me so that she can make out my face.

"Wait!" I quickly stop her and grasp the hand she is using to hold the torch.

"Don't touch me." She growls but I ignore her threat, moving her hand and torch back so that it the light is focused on the angel again.

It's moved again.

"Don't move your torch." I say under my breath, as if the creature may hear me. Maybe it will. Pomona for once nods without argument and we stand, unmoving like the statue. "What now?" I ask, fearing what her answer may be. Golden gave us two choices. We could run, or face it. Knowing Pomona, she would probably choose the second option. Instead to my relief, she shrugs and I let out an audible sigh of relief.

"Wimp." Without thinking I am drawing out my mace, ready to smash it onto her head. She remains unfazed.

"I am no weakling, peasant. Who do you think you are anyway! I'm stronger than you will ever be!" I growl at her through clenched teeth. No one questions my ability.

"Yes, but you don't think things through," She replies calmly, " And right now, I don't believe either of us are staring at that statue."

My heart sinks, and as swing my head to where I think the angel was, and I am met with a face of stone.

My body freezes up, my mind growing blank. I can't turn away from it, I can't even move.

I stare into the angel's eyes, and it stares back into mine.

**District 3**

**Bassolo Thomas's POV**

I see Eve lock eyes with me, and I know she doesn't know what to say to me. I don't know what I want her to say to me either. That she's sorry she killed Monalisa? That she didn't mean to? I don't want her to say any of these things, because I know that as sorry as she is for taking away her life, nothing she can say will bring her back to me.

I barely knew her.

We set up camp a few hours ago by the stream, in an effort to gain some rest after the past few days. I knew Eve was restless staying with those Anti Careers, but we stayed with them anyway with the hopes of coming out of the alliance with something to show for it. Of course we didn't. Who knows where Hayata is now with that cloak, and if I'm honest I don't even care anymore. She can keep it. It cost Monalisa's life.

As we sit by the fire, I can see Eve struggling to create words in her mouth. Several times I think she might say something, but then she stops, shutting her mouth tight as if she is afraid what she will say is the wrong thing.

"Bassolo? You know I didn't mean to kill her right?" I nod my head, but at the same time I write out a sentence in Monalisa's old notebook.

It doesn't matter though.

The impact on Eve is instant. Those four words hold so much pent-up emotion. Even though I know she didn't mean to, she still did it. She showed me her willingness to kill. I thought Eve was different. I allied with her because, despite everything, she seemed to care. Not just about herself, but about me. Now I think I need to reconsider even that.

"I said I was sorry, and you know that there is nothing I can do to bring her back Bassolo, hell if there was something I could do I would!" Her voice begins to rise and I meet her eyes, "And I'm sorry if you think I am to blame but you need to get ahold of yourself! If you ever thought that you were going to get out of here alive, then you would have considered the fact that she would have to die to do so, so I'm not sure why you are getting so emotional!"

That's the Eve I knew before all of this. The cold one, who locked out all her emotions. analyzing her beforehand, I had deemed her ruthless, ready to kill to survive.

I stand up from the fire.

"Bassolo? Where are you going!"

I don't turn around, I simply keep walking, in what direction I am not to sure. I just know that I need to get away from Eve. I hear her getting up from the fire and running towards me, gripping my hand tightly. I stop, but only for a second to see her eyes pleading. I simply tear my hand away from her.

I start running now, desperate to get away from her. It quickly dawns on me that I am throwing away an ally that might keep me alive but I no longer care. Maybe I've changed in this arena too. Before, I was so timid and shy. Now look at me, I'm a mute, yet something else has changed. I've seen friends die, I've been opened to the horrors the games have to offer. And I'm scared.

I run until I think I can't run anymore and simply collapse in a heap. My chest heaves heavily from the strain of running. I'm not fit enough, or strong enough for that matter to make it very far. All I have is my intellect, and even that seems to be failing me now. I left Eve. My only friend alive, and now I'm alone. The cold façade I put on in front of Eve fades, and I let myself begin to wallow in my losses. Tears overcome me, and I allow myself to cry.

I consider running back to her, pretending that the whole thing never happened. But when ever I think of my district parter's face, the hollow feeling in my stomach from the loss of Monalisa builds and I find it hard to move.

How am I meant to survive alone? I'm 12 years old, I don't stand a chance. You've made it this far, part of me thinks. But that was because I was with Eve. I'm sure Tucker and Sammy would have killed me if it were not for Eve.

As I wallow in my thoughts, I don't register the sound behind me until it is too late.

When I suddenly turn around, I can make out a stone statue. It's on of the ones Eve and I saw earlier descending from the sky. I immediately regret my decision to leave Eve behind. What if she is trapped with an angel as well?

I turn and take off running, thinking that maybe I can outrun it, but the thing moves faster than my eyes can see. I make it 2 meters before the thing appears in front of me, cutting off my view of the arena.

I stare petrified into it's now uncovered stone eyes, and then everything goes white, and I lose consciousness.

**District 11**

**Pomona Carver POV**

I stare.

Mace just disappeared. He looked into the angel's eyes, and both of them just disappeared in a flash of blinding light.

I shrug indifferently. At least this gives me a chance to escape. I mean, the only reason I stayed with the careers was because one, they offered me protection, two, I figured I could get some kills through them, and three, they were expendable.

Honestly the only reason I ever bothered to stay with Mace was because if we ever got into a life threatening fight with another tribute, I could just ditch him and get away safely.

So instead of waiting to see if he ever comes back from where ever the angel seemed to take him like a good little ally, I grasp my torch, check my remaining knives, shoulder my backpack and start moving. The further away I get from those angel things the better.

I keep walking through the arena, keeping an eye out for tributes and stone angels. A few times, I think I am being followed, but when I turn around, there is no one there. As my thoughts start to wonder due to the silence and the darkness, I begin to think of home.

I wonder what they are thinking? This is a side my family and friends would have never seen before. They knew I was a tomboy, everyone did. I always wanted to be like my older brothers. The thing was, they never wanted to be around me. Maybe I want to prove to them that I really am tough enough to handle the horrors these games have to offer. When I come home, everyone will love me, adore me. But… what will my family do? They've seen me kill and torture innocent little children here, enjoying their pain and suffering. I shrug. They'll just have to deal with who I am.

I find it hard to navigate in the dark, even with my makeshift torch. I hear crys erupt from the arena as no doubt angels have found other tributes. So far I have been lucky, but how long will my luck last?

My question is quickly answered when I hear the crunch of leaves behind me.

I quickly turn in the direction of the sound, moving my torch with me. I see it faintly, the outline of a stone angel. It's weird. Its covering it's face, but the one I saw attacking Mace didn't. But it had been before.

Don't look into its eyes.

"Ok," I say, not really talking to anyone in particular, "You don't move when I'm looking at you, so all I have to do, is not look away." Then I remember the advice Golden had given, before she had unleashed this hell. Don't blink.

Crap. How the hell am I meant to do that! I stare intently at the statue, trying to hold my eyes open. Maybe it would have been a good idea to stick with Mace. Then again, I have no way of knowing where the angel took him, maybe it killed him on the spot. No. That would be to easy. The Capitol needs to be entertained by the deaths of the tributes.

So I keep staring, blinking one eye at a time, but as the time draws out, it becomes harder and harder. All I have to do is wait till the sun rises, I think. Surely that is the cut off point for these angels, when they become deactivated. Golden wouldn't keep them in the arena for the whole time would she?

My eyes begin to water, and my stupid reflexes kick in immediately. Before I can stop myself, both eyes shut, and I blink.

I quickly snap my eyes back open, but I can already see that the statue has moved significantly closer and I curse under my breath.

"What the hell am I meant to do now!" I can't stop myself from yelling. There is no way I'm going to be beaten by some stupid statue. I'll stare at it all night if I have to.

Of course, someone or something really wants to make that hard for me, and suddenly I hear a rustling behind me, and another pair of tributes. I recognise one of the voices, Eve the girl from District 3.

Honestly, I thought she would have been dead by now, but apparently not, and now she's behind me and there is nothing I can do about it, I mean I can barely move.

"You just going to kill me from behind? Wow that's warrior like." I snicker. I hear her approach me from behind, yet she makes no move to attack me. Wasn't she with her district partner? I wonder what happened to him. He's probably dead by now.

"You really are thick aren't you." She replies calmly. I growl at her response. She continues anyway, "I kill you and no one will be looking at it. Then it will move quicker than I can react and move onto me."

"Exactly." I smirk. She's not as dumb as I thought. "So what are you going to do? Leave me?" For a minute I think she has left, but then I hear her foot steps approaching me, and a hand on my backpack.

" In a minute." I've never felt so powerless as he pulls off my backpack and takes ever knife in my belt, securing them in her own.

"I would think twice about doing that." I warn, "I could very well simply turn my head away. The angel could go for either one of us."

"But you wouldn't. You're too self preservative for your own good."

"Unlike you?" She might be shaking her head, but I can't tell since I'm alittle preoccupied staring at the angel.

"I've already lost everything. My district partner left me because he thought I had turned into an animal. Maybe I have. But the thing is, now I have nothing to lose."

"You didn't run after him?"

" He wouldn't have wanted me too."

And then she is gone. Just like that, and I am left staring at this stupid angel, without any supplies. Oh well, on the positive side, she didn't find the knife I keep in my cloak.

**District 2**

**Mace Stranol's POV**

When I open my eyes, I see a bright white light, and I am 99% sure that the angel has killed me. But if it had killed me, surely I wouldn't be aware right now… right?

As I become increasingly aware of the fact that I am not well, dead I realize that I am face down on the ground. I make out a hand outstretched and gratefully take it and the support it offers as it pulls me off the ground.

Then I realize who the hand belongs to. It's my brother, Hammer. I don't know how in hell he is here, but I bet it's some Game Maker's ploy to get some heart-felt emotion out of me. It does the complete opposite.

Immediately I ball up the front of his shirt with my fist and force him to lock eyes with me. His proud smirk is the same as I remember.

"Hey little bro, how things going?" he asks, the smirk still showing on his face. I am about to push him away when I notice the sword in his hand, and the mace secured in my own. How did that get there?

I quickly step away from him and draw my weapon, ready for whatever the Game Makers throw at me. Hammer just laughs.

"You were always so keen to prove yourself Mace. But did you ever think that you could match up to me? Your perfect older brother? Remember, I trained for these games, you barely did. I won the love of mom and dad. You didn't. Face it, I will always be better than you, at everything." A low growl seems to emit from my throat as he says the words I have thought over and over since I can remember. It's true. Hammer was always the favorite child, and I was always forgotten in the shadows. No matter how hard I tried, I could never live up to the standards he set. Until now. I'm the one who is going to come home as victor not him. This is my chance to prove myself. So I strike out at him. Wielding my mace, I aim for his legs but he is quick to deflect it away with his sword. Hammer has more muscle strength than me, so I'll have to rely on my speed if I want to take him down.

I try to surprise him by lunging for his stomach, then at the last moment moving to throw my weapon at his head, but he seems to guess my attack and simply doges with ease.

"You forgot Mace, I taught you all of those moves." And he's right. Everything I learnt was from my father and my brother. Every move, dodge and reflex comes from them.

My brother charges at me and throws me to the ground, pinning me underneath with his weight. Effortlessly, he removes my mace from his hand and discards it behind him, positioning his own sword at my throat.

"Game over little bro."

I frantically try to force myself out, but all I can hear are the same words, repeating themselves.

"You have failed. You have failed. You have failed."

I feel the sword press into my skin; feel the blood rush to the wound, and instantly, my world goes black.

**District 10**

**Rochelle Hunter's POV**

The arena has gone dark. I don't know what's happening. All I see is flashes of dim color. Blurs of vaguely distinguishable images. Snaps of reality, mixed with darkness.

And then I make out the face. Her face. The girl from District 12, Hayata? I remember her from training. She was with Alex, her district partner. Where is he now?

No. I shouldn't be distracting myself. I need to focus.

She claws at my face with her nails, laughing like an animal, as if she is enjoying my pain. I try to force her off my body, but she is too heavy. Instead I try to find my weapon in the darkness, but my hands grasp at the grass, coming out empty.

I draw a knee up and manage to kick the girl off me long enough to scramble to my feet. My weapon lies behind her, and I know that I won't be able to grab it soon enough. Then I see Lucy, approaching Hayata silently from behind. I try to shake my head in a subtle way to tell her to leave me and hide, but she either doesn't see me, or chooses to ignore it.

Before either I or Hayata can react, Lucy, little small tiny Lucy, jumps onto her back. I hear Hayata howl in protest as she becomes disoriented and tires to violently shake Lucy off, but she holds strong, her small arms warped tightly around her neck clinging for dear life.

I clutch the knife in my hand and run to aid Lucy. I know that I'm going to have to kill this girl if I want to keep Lucy safe… but I don't know if I can. I don't know if I can go on with the weight of another tributes death on my shoulders, knowing that I am the one that ended their lives, took them away from their families.

In the corner of my eye, I catch the swaying of deep green vines hanging loosely from the branches of trees, and suddenly I have an idea.

"Hang on Lucy I'm coming!" As quickly as I can, I tear the strong ivy vines from the branches and rush over to Lucy's aid.

"Lucy let go of her!" She glances at my with a look of confusion. "Trust me!"

And so she let's go. I watch for a second as she gracefully jumps back from Hayata, landing a good few feet away before running and scaling a tree with ease. Quickly tying the vine rope with a familiar knot, I force my eyes closed as I hear Hayata charge at me. I think back to my days back at the ranch. Back before we had money to feed ourselves, back when I spent most of my days tending to sick animals and playing cowboys with my brother.

My arms begin to move, as the memory seems to awaken something inside of me. I let my limps act in what feels like the most natural thing in the world, and throw the vine rope. When I open my eyes I see that I have successfully lassoed the District 12 girl.

I let my instincts take over as I pull the rope sharply forward, bringing the girl to the ground with it. My feet pound against the ground as I run over to her collapsed and struggling body and the ground and wind the rest of the rope around her hands which are caught behind her back. Satisfied, I move to her legs and secure them as well, my hands moving on their own.

I allow myself to step back and a small smile to cross over my face. 'Cowgirl' is what my father used to call me. Finally, I drag the squirming girl towards a tree trunk and as gently as I can, secure her to it, preventing her from going aware. At least now she doesn't have to die by my hands.

"Lucy, you can come down now, it's safe."

The little girl climbs down the tree like a monkey and is quick to join me at my side. I grab my knife from the ground quickly before Lucy can see it and tuck it away in my belt. I then turn back to Hayata, who's screaming out like a wild animal. "I'm so sorry." And I truly mean it. No doubt some other tribute might come by now, and who knows what they will do to her. But I can't risk her hurting Lucy. I made a promise to Hale to keep her safe, and I am determined to keep it.

But then I see something move in the distance, and when I turn, my heart sinks. It's an angel. It's still far away, but no doubt it will catch up to us soon. I have to keep Lucy safe, we have to get away.

And so we do what we do best, run.

Taking Lucy's hand in my own, we take off through the forest, meeting a great river and following its path towards the large lake in the center of the arena. It's when I see Calvin and Seery run straight past us that I stop and pause. They didn't even try and attack us, what were they running from?

I risk a look behind us, and I don't see the angel. Maybe it didn't follow us. I turn to tell Lucy the good news, but just as I do, I see the angel appear in front of us, and then suddenly, both Lucy and the angel are gone.

"No!" I can't stop myself from crying out. Just like that, the Capitol has taken away my last lifeline, the last thing that was keeping me alive in this arena. "Bring her back to me!"

The one thing I promised to Hale before he died was to protect his sister. And I failed at that. That was the one thing he asked of me, and I couldn't even do that. I'm sorry Hale.

**District 3**

**Bassolo Thomas's POV**

A pounding in the back of my head awakes me, and as I stumble back to consciousness, I realize everything is white around me. Am I dead?

After a quick assessment, I realize the answer is a flat no. My heart is still beating, and I can still control my body movements. I stand up and push my glasses back up my nose before taking in my surroundings.

It's completely white. I'm both frightened and amazed at the technology the Game Maker's have. If I ever get out of here alive, I want to find out what mechanics they used to create this. A small smile escapes my grasp as the thought feels so familiar, so Bassolo, that I am able to convince myself that the games have not changed everything about me. I still love technology, still love to gain new information, and the thought gives me hope.

I'm so lost in my thoughts, that I don't see when notice when five figures approach me.

When I finally look up, I recognize their faces immediately. Two of them were careers. Jessica and Dylan. It pains me to look at the other three. The boy I saw with Sammy that day Eve and I were trapped in the net, Eve, my district partner, and Monalisa.

A voice rings out inside my head, and I am alerted by the invasion of my mind. Bassolo. You have always taken such pride in your knowledge. You show-off and boast about your cleverness. You think greatly about yourself and your knowledge, yet you fail to understand and take note of others. This will be your downfall.

The two careers advance on me, and before I can react are pinning me down by my arms against the cold white floor, smiling.

I scream out in surprise, but I quickly stop myself. Not for fear of my own life, but because I myself emitted that noise. In this world, I can speak.

The first person to appear in my line of vision is the man I saw with Sammy. He stands over me and looks down to meet my eyes. I realize now he is the man from District 10, but I still can't find his name in my memory.

"We will each ask you a question. In your time in the arena, you have heard the answers spoken by us." My heart sinks. You think greatly about yourself and your knowledge, yet you fail to understand and take note of others.

The man continues, "Here is my question. On the day that Sammy and I met you, the day you got caught in our net, why did she cut you lose, instead of killing you right then and there?" I rattle my brain for an answer, but nothing springs to mind. I was too worried about dying that moment to care. Then I remember.

"She said she didn't know why she did it." I hold my breath, and for a moment there is silence, then the man nods, and disintegrates into smoke. Eve approaches me next, her face looking sadder than I have ever seen it, even if this isn't the real Eve.

" The day I saved you from the Reapings, when I stopped those bullies. Why did I do it?" She told me this before, I know she did. When… when that mutt was pretending to be her.

" You said because you pitted me." The words still cut deep and only come out as a whisper. Yet she nods and like the man disappears. The last face I am met with is Monalisa. Her face still looks the same, her smile appears genuine as she recounts the memory on her note pad.

Remember that one night we spent together, when we were allies? When we were alone, and no one was listening. I told you why I never spoke. Do you remember?

Her face begins to fall as I struggle to remember. She shared her secret with me, and now I can't even remember. The time ticks by, and eventually, I have to shake my head with defeat. How can I not remember?

Her body disappears in a flash of smoke as words ring out in my mind.

You have failed. You have failed. You have failed.

Jessica rises from my side, and I can do nothing as she digs her knife into my body where my heart lies. The funny thing is, I probably deserve it.

**District 8**

**Lucy Gray's POV**

Where… where am I?

As my eyes open, I realize I am on the floor. Carefully, I stand up. I look around, and all I see is white. Where is Rochelle? What happened to Hayata? She just disappeared.

There is nowhere to go where I am. When I move forward, I can't tell if I am actually making progress, because it all looks the same. There is also silence. I don't like the quiet. It leaves me with only my thoughts. So I hum. I hum the tune my Daddy taught me when I was little, but I think it was Mummy who taught him. He sung it to me every night when I went to bed then when he had to stay away a lot because he was working, Hale would sing it.

I giggle at the thought. Big brother could never hold a tune, and he would always sing off key to make me laugh. The memory makes me sad though. Because I know I will never get to see him again. He left me, just like everyone did. The thought leaves me feeling empty.

I keep walking, sometimes changing to a skip as a move across the white surroundings. I don't know where I'm going, but I have a compelling sense to move forward. Then, I see a figure in the distance. It walks towards me, shrouded by shadows so I cannot make out his face.

I walk towards it too out of curiosity, and as I get closer, I can make out a face.

Hale.

My walk changes into a run, and I sprint over to him, laughter echoing out from me. He's here, and Rochelle had told me he had gone.

He picks me up like he always used to when we were younger, back when we were living together in District 1. He swings me about, his laughter merging with mine. I haven't seen him laugh for so long. It makes me happy to see it.

When he finally sets me down on the ground again, I encase him in a hug, still laughing with joy.

"Hale, you came back for me, you didn't leave me." I look up and see him smiling at me. "We can play games again! Like hide and seek, and tag and cowboys, Daddy will want to see you too, let's go." I grasp his hand with another smile and begin to walk in the direction I came in. But he doesn't move.

I turn to him, look into his face and see that he has stopped smiling.

"I can't come with you." I look at him to see if he is playing a prank on me. He always used to do things like this, but his fingers aren't crossed to show that he is lying. That was always a tell tale sign.

"But… why?" Tears begin to run down my cheeks, and there is nothing I can do to stop them.

"I can't come with you." He repeats again. I try to move towards him, but my body suddenly freezes in its place. I feel like I do when I play musical statues, only this time, I can't unfreeze.

I watch in horror as Hale begins to walk away from me, into the distance, leaving me behind.

"Hale!" I scream and I shout, but he keeps moving away from me. The tears now fall freely from my eyes and drip down onto the white floor. "Don't leave me!" I beg. I keep screaming but he keeps walking, never looking back, never responding to my pleas.

I feel the cage closing around my heart, driving forward so violently that I fear my ribs might break.

Think happy thoughts. That's what Rochelle told me to do when Hale died. Think of the things that make you feel happy, because that is what you need to hold on to. And so I do. I force my eyes closed and think of the time Hale took me swimming for the first time back home, of all the times we played together, the horse back rides he gave me. Baking with Mommy. The smell of the cookie dough. I find my thoughts shifting to Rochelle. Protecting me, making me laugh, keeping me safe. All these things, I need to hold onto them.

When I open my eyes, Hale is gone, but I no longer feel sad. I feel hopeful. Hopeful for what is to come.

A voice suddenly fills the space around me, repeating the same single message.

"You have passed. You have passed. You have passed."

A bright light seems to shine around me, blinding me momentarily causing me to squeeze my eyes shut to avoid the glare.

When I open them once more, I am back with Rochelle back in the forest.

She looks at me, stunned, before smothering me in a hug so tight I can barely breathe.

"I didn't know what happened." She says, "One minute you were there, and then you were gone along with the angel." As she says that, I look up and realize that the angel is now on the ground, crumbled and defeated. I won its game.

"What happened to you? Where did you go?" Her questions are persistent yet… I can't find the words to answer. Instead I just shake my head and bury my head into her cloak, in a desperate attempt to shut out the rest of the world.

I can't stop the tears from coming. It's as if my eyes have been opened to every horror the world has to offer. How… how could the Game Makers be so cruel? They showed me images of my dead brother for what? Fun? Entertainment? This whole thing is not a game, that is what Hale was trying to tell me, and it's taken my brother's death to make me realize this.

I'm sorry Hale, I'm so sorry.

Rochelle hugs me tightly, as if she fears I will leave her again.

"Please don't leave me again. I don't want to lose you."

**10 points to Gryffindor if you caught on to the Doctor who cameo ;)**

**Bet you thought I was never going to write this chapter did you :) Hi everyone! What has it been, 5 months? I don't think I can apologize enough for disappearing : ( A combination of my laptop clearing itself halfway through writing this chapter, writers block, exams and overall stress had left me with little motivation to write big chapters, thus why I have been working on smaller projects :D but I am back, and a new chapter will be out in a week hopefully :D Thanks to all who have PMed me as well, you know who you are I LOVE you ;)**

**Mace Stranol- let's face it, you always had a massive target on your back : ) but I still loved you  
><strong>**Bassolo Thomas- You and Eve were always a favorite of mine :)**

D1: Jessica Rose- killed on Day 3 by Calvin and Seery  
>D2: Mace Stranol- killed on Day 8 by angels<br>D2: Pearl Chrysler- killed on Day 7 by Pomona  
>D5: Dylan DiMarco- killed in bloodbath by Jess<p>

**D11: Pomona Carver- staring at angel near center lake**

**D7: Sammy Tennant- ****dying near Greek ruins, cuts on cheek and arms and poison wounds. Head injury  
><strong>D10: Tucker Levington- killed on Day 7 by Mace

**D3 : Eve Cane- running from Pomona near center lake**

D3 : Bassolo Thomas- killed on Day 8 by angels

**D4: Calvin Wilson- running from angel near center lake, knife wounds on arms  
><strong>**D4: Seery Janeston- running from angel near center lake, knife wounds across body, injured arm  
><strong>D7: Bramble Malcome – killed in bloodbath by Rochelle  
>D9: Kall Roswell- killed on Day 6 by a spear in Game maker's trap<br>D12: Alex Jackson- killed on Day 3 by Jess

D9: Monalisa Ryna- killed on Day 7 by Eve  
><strong>D12: Hayata Dise- <strong>**tied to tree near center lake, crazy and cuts on arm, ****cloak of invisibility in possession**

D1: Hale Gray – killed on Day 6 by Greek Proteus Mutt  
><strong>D8: Lucy Gray- resting near center lake, grazes on knees, bruises across body<br>****D10: Rochelle Hunter- resting near center lake, head wound and cuts.**

D8: Chiffon Burrel- killed in bloodbath by Hale  
>D11 : Hachet Gennard- killed in bloodbath by Pearl<p>

D6 : Aurora Nevet- killed on Day 2 by Sybil  
>D6 : Zero Godwin- killed in bloodbath by Jess<p>

D5 : Sybil Holloway- killed on Day 2 by Rochelle


End file.
